To Support to Host Communities affected for Rohingya Influx with strengthening Social Cohesion in Bandarban District

Chittagong Hill Tracts, the mountainous frontier region of Bangladesh in the south-eastern part of the country Bangladesh. It is considered as one of the forest richest areas of Bangladesh. The area of CHT forest lands covers an area of 5,093 square miles, which is approximately one-tenth of the total area of Bangladesh. Along the Reserved Forest (RF) the historical management system of village common forests (VCF) also around in the CHT of Bangladesh.VCF in the CHT undoubtedly play an important role in biodiversity conservation and as well as supporting daily necessities of the community people. The VCF still are the source of fuel wood, herbs, roots, bamboo shoots, wild fruits, vines or leaves for cooking or medicinal use necessary to sustain the lives of the indigenous communities in the CHT. Some of these community managed village forests were also recorded from some rare plant and animal species which are not usually found in the reserve forests and the un-classed state forests due to continued deforestation and land degradation. However, population pressure combined with improved marketing facilities, ignorance, over exploitation, personal greed, tenure insecurity, faulty government policies regarding settlement of land and breakdown of the traditional systems exerting pressures on these VCF and the overall condition of these important biodiversity rich areas are degrading or shrinking in size and number gradually. Recognizing the traditional and customary resource rights of the indigenous communities in the CHT, acknowledging resource management system, providing tenure security, encouraging communities through legal and financial incentives in protecting these VCF or any other state owned forest areas solely for the conservation of biodiversity following an intensive management plan, resolving long lasting land related conflicts, and at the same time upholding the spirit of CHT Peace Accord 1997 could be important policy tools for the sustainability of these VCF in the CHT. There is no strong community based set up and institutions for protection and provide them technical and input support for reforestation of the watersheds. No training services are available for these communities on modern cultivation options. Service providers GoB and NGOs hardly reach among remotely living communities. Extreme poor households cannot manage the resource for starting a new income generating activity. However there are vast opportunities in agribusiness for farmers in CHT to increase their income and livelihoods. Some of them are: year-round organic vegetable gardening, Integrated fruit garden, bamboo & cane made furniture & crafts, livestock rearing, maize cultivation and honey-bee keeping. In the project location, Streams are dying, Para Ban/Mouza Ban committees
are inactive, vegetation is getting lost, no restrictions on fuel wood cutting, traditional institutions are the main leader, but due to their proper guidelines common people are not controlled for the use of forests. People are very poor, not skilled enough to survive in other agricultural diversified professions. Endangered Species are getting lost from the village forest due to illegal invasion. On 25 August 2017, violence once again broke out in Rakhine State, triggering a massive influx of approximately 400,000 people across the border. There are many more Rohingya in different districts, notably Bandarban specially in Naikhongchari upazila. Project will take issues into consideration to possible threats to community cohesion in this upazila if arise out of this outbreak. Youth leaders will be skilled for conflict prevention and peace building and women will be empowered. Women still deprived of inheritance rights. There will be training on Gender based violence and support for women victims of violence, trafficking and child marriage. With the initiative of UNDP, training was held in Rangamati Hill District with the participation from different profession of 3 hill district for peace building, in that way Local Volunteer Mediators’ Forums will be 7 capacitated. The project will support to the demarcation, pillar posting, GPS mapping of new 6 VCFs and their communities to lessen disputes arising out of VCF boundaries- and settle down boundary disputes through cohesion training, capacity building to the selected VCF communities and VCF networks and other stakeholders. Improve livelihood of households who are dependent in village common forest in selected VCFs. Agricultural diversification and micro-agribusiness technology, accessing sustainable marketing opportunities; scale up reforestation, restoration and conservation of the natural watersheds in the VCF area through collective community ownership and action.