52 At 5 the beginning of the process, the local communities were not aware of the naturally grown triple-tier defense mechanism of the coastal zone, which includes dense bushes along the shoreline and the estuarine rivers, and a strong middle tier with hardy plants and long palms and nuts at the top which gradually reduce the speed of storms and river and sea currents. Among the immediate results, some animals like deer appeared for grazing in newly planted zones. The mangrove zone of the coast is a muddy area with plants able to specially adapt with pneumatophores. The growth of plants is very slow but the plants become very strong in order to withstand cyclonic storms and tidal surges. The under-story is rich with diversified flora and fauna, and the Sundarbans are a unique habitat for deer, monkeys, tigers and crocodiles, turtle, birds, shrimps and crustaceans, snakes, honey bees and many other insects. This RCE project presented an opportunity to develop awareness of the people about the impacts of indiscriminate logging, poaching and the extraction of Gol Pata (leaves of Nipa fruticans), and also around the creation of pockets created by extracting forest trees and excavating ponds and lagoons for shrimp. Such actions can result in strong cyclones in the pockets, as happened during Cyclone Sidr in 2007 and Cyclone Aila in 2009. Today people continue to suffer and the region has not yet emerged from the salinity effects, with millions still living in the urban areas to which they escaped. In an attempt to combat the problem, there have been recommendations made to create pockets in the coastal forest by clearing trees and planting only suitable species, such as coconut, keora, goran, bain, kakra, and sundri in the coast. Some other recommended species should be planted in the immediate interior. Shallow-rooted fastgrowing rain trees, such as Albizzia spp and mahogany, must not be planted in the coastal region as it was observed that during storms these trees are more prone to damaging nearby structures, utility lines, bridges and crops. The recommendation was also made to excavate big ponds (traditionally called Dighi) with raised banks planted with coconut trees. These ponds would serve as a fresh water source during calamities. These are the more effective lessons of RCE Greater Dhaka that were communicated to stakeholders through formal and informal educational processes. In response to these and some other activities, the Government of Bangladesh has already taken some measures to make shelterbelts and adopted strict measures not to extract mangrove forest for shrimp culture and for excavation of large ponds. It is further hoped that in the course of implementation, rural communities will benefit during the extreme events, as rural-to-urban migration will be reduced and urban life will be made more resilient and comfortable as a result of the fruitful management of coastal zone. A participatory mangrove plantation involving nearby coastal communities has been organised by RCE Greater Dhaka into a sustainable mangrove and as a natural protection mechanism, as well as to protect coastal biodiversity. For effective shoreline protection as well as windbreak, appropriate plants of mangrove species and strong wind-resistant trees like coconut, fishtail palm, areca nut, and Palmyra palm were planted following an appropriate design. Local stakeholders, especially students, youth and NGO members were motivated to implement the work voluntarily under the supervision of the Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, Chittagong University of Science and Technology (USTC ), Chittagong and CGEC Dhaka, all partners in the RCE. It was a great challenge to motivate and organise these individuals to plant such slow-growing plants, as they were used to working with fast-growing trees that had some short term benefits but which were very prone to strong winds. Elderly people supported the programme and they used their experience to suggest other species that could help control erosion as well as reducing the wind speed of cyclonic storms. Through this programme, ideas and traditional wisdoms help in sustainable development and creating collaborative livelihoods through the application of both scientific and traditional knowledge. Successful motivation and implementation of the work were significant achievements. The need for naturally adaptive species and their multipurpose uses, including environmental protection, has been realised. Ecosystem Servi ces and Sustainable Use It has been a great lesson to undertake such sustainable works with limited resources. It has also been an inspiration to work collaboratively to save vulnerable resources
Traditional Knowledge and Biodiversity
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