Analysis of Power Dynamics and Livelihood Assets in Participatory Forest Management: Experience from Bangladesh

K. K. Islam; Masakazu Tani; Kazuo Asahiro; M. Zulfikar Rahman; Kimihiko Hyakumura; Takahiro Fujiwara; Noriko Sato

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijnrem.20160103.14

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Analysis of Power Dynamics and Livelihood Assets in Participatory Forest Management: Experience from Bangladesh

K. K. Islam, Masakazu Tani, Kazuo Asahiro, M. Zulfikar Rahman, Kimihiko Hyakumura, Takahiro Fujiwara, Noriko Sato

Published in International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management (Volume 1, Issue 3)

Received: 13 July 2016 Accepted: 25 July 2016 Published: 10 August 2016

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Abstract

Participatory forestry (PF) plays a significant role to involve local communities and different actors in resources management and livelihood improvements. However, the power of important actors to misuse the PF for their self-interest has been stated as a key obstacle to success. Hence, this study seeks to identify the most powerful actors and the extent to which they affect PF decision- making and also to measure and evaluate the livelihood assets of participants. Empirical data were collected from Madhupur and Teknaf PF sites of Bangladesh during the different time intervals. The actors’ power analysis found out that the forest administration evidenced itself as the most powerful and influential actors in PF. In the case of livelihood analysis, the overall results indicated that the total value of PF members’ livelihood assets were 0.82 and 0.75 for Madhupur and Teknaf study sites. Livelihood asset conditions were significantly different between the PF members’ and non-members’ (0.65 and 0.62 for non-members’). However, the development of social and financial assets did not reveal a notable increase considering natural, physical and human assets. Therefore, it is very important to pay more attention to accelerate social and financial assets through intensive training, establishing conflicts resolution mechanism and adopting proper tree-crop technologies, and also provide alternative livelihood approaches to the forest dependent people. In addition, there is an immediate need to empower local PF members, by which the general members play the central role in decision making and governing all of their development activities.

Published in	International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management (Volume 1, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijnrem.20160103.14
Page(s)	88-98
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Actor, Power, Participatory Forestry, Livelihood Assets, Bangladesh

References

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K. K. Islam, Masakazu Tani, Kazuo Asahiro, M. Zulfikar Rahman, Kimihiko Hyakumura, et al. (2016). Analysis of Power Dynamics and Livelihood Assets in Participatory Forest Management: Experience from Bangladesh. International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, 1(3), 88-98. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20160103.14

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ACS Style

K. K. Islam; Masakazu Tani; Kazuo Asahiro; M. Zulfikar Rahman; Kimihiko Hyakumura, et al. Analysis of Power Dynamics and Livelihood Assets in Participatory Forest Management: Experience from Bangladesh. Int. J. Nat. Resour. Ecol. Manag. 2016, 1(3), 88-98. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnrem.20160103.14

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AMA Style

K. K. Islam, Masakazu Tani, Kazuo Asahiro, M. Zulfikar Rahman, Kimihiko Hyakumura, et al. Analysis of Power Dynamics and Livelihood Assets in Participatory Forest Management: Experience from Bangladesh. Int J Nat Resour Ecol Manag. 2016;1(3):88-98. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnrem.20160103.14

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@article{10.11648/j.ijnrem.20160103.14,
  author = {K. K. Islam and Masakazu Tani and Kazuo Asahiro and M. Zulfikar Rahman and Kimihiko Hyakumura and Takahiro Fujiwara and Noriko Sato},
  title = {Analysis of Power Dynamics and Livelihood Assets in Participatory Forest Management: Experience from Bangladesh},
  journal = {International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management},
  volume = {1},
  number = {3},
  pages = {88-98},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijnrem.20160103.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20160103.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijnrem.20160103.14},
  abstract = {Participatory forestry (PF) plays a significant role to involve local communities and different actors in resources management and livelihood improvements. However, the power of important actors to misuse the PF for their self-interest has been stated as a key obstacle to success. Hence, this study seeks to identify the most powerful actors and the extent to which they affect PF decision- making and also to measure and evaluate the livelihood assets of participants. Empirical data were collected from Madhupur and Teknaf PF sites of Bangladesh during the different time intervals. The actors’ power analysis found out that the forest administration evidenced itself as the most powerful and influential actors in PF. In the case of livelihood analysis, the overall results indicated that the total value of PF members’ livelihood assets were 0.82 and 0.75 for Madhupur and Teknaf study sites. Livelihood asset conditions were significantly different between the PF members’ and non-members’ (0.65 and 0.62 for non-members’). However, the development of social and financial assets did not reveal a notable increase considering natural, physical and human assets. Therefore, it is very important to pay more attention to accelerate social and financial assets through intensive training, establishing conflicts resolution mechanism and adopting proper tree-crop technologies, and also provide alternative livelihood approaches to the forest dependent people. In addition, there is an immediate need to empower local PF members, by which the general members play the central role in decision making and governing all of their development activities.},
 year = {2016}
}

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TY - JOUR
T1 - Analysis of Power Dynamics and Livelihood Assets in Participatory Forest Management: Experience from Bangladesh
AU - K. K. Islam
AU - Masakazu Tani
AU - Kazuo Asahiro
AU - M. Zulfikar Rahman
AU - Kimihiko Hyakumura
AU - Takahiro Fujiwara
AU - Noriko Sato
Y1 - 2016/08/10
PY - 2016
N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20160103.14
DO - 10.11648/j.ijnrem.20160103.14
T2 - International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
JF - International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
JO - International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management
SP - 88
EP - 98
PB - Science Publishing Group
SN - 2575-3061
UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20160103.14
AB - Participatory forestry (PF) plays a significant role to involve local communities and different actors in resources management and livelihood improvements. However, the power of important actors to misuse the PF for their self-interest has been stated as a key obstacle to success. Hence, this study seeks to identify the most powerful actors and the extent to which they affect PF decision- making and also to measure and evaluate the livelihood assets of participants. Empirical data were collected from Madhupur and Teknaf PF sites of Bangladesh during the different time intervals. The actors’ power analysis found out that the forest administration evidenced itself as the most powerful and influential actors in PF. In the case of livelihood analysis, the overall results indicated that the total value of PF members’ livelihood assets were 0.82 and 0.75 for Madhupur and Teknaf study sites. Livelihood asset conditions were significantly different between the PF members’ and non-members’ (0.65 and 0.62 for non-members’). However, the development of social and financial assets did not reveal a notable increase considering natural, physical and human assets. Therefore, it is very important to pay more attention to accelerate social and financial assets through intensive training, establishing conflicts resolution mechanism and adopting proper tree-crop technologies, and also provide alternative livelihood approaches to the forest dependent people. In addition, there is an immediate need to empower local PF members, by which the general members play the central role in decision making and governing all of their development activities.
VL - 1
IS - 3
ER -

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Author Information

K. K. Islam

Department of Agroforestry, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh City, Bangladesh;Forest Policy laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka City, Japan
Masakazu Tani

Department of Environmental Design, Faculty of Design, Kyushu University, Fukuoka City, Japan
Kazuo Asahiro

Department of Environmental Design, Faculty of Design, Kyushu University, Fukuoka City, Japan
M. Zulfikar Rahman

Department of Agricultural Extension Education, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh City, Bangladesh
Kimihiko Hyakumura

Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka City, Japan
Takahiro Fujiwara

Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka City, Japan
Noriko Sato

Forest Policy laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka City, Japan

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K. K. Islam, Masakazu Tani, Kazuo Asahiro, M. Zulfikar Rahman, Kimihiko Hyakumura, et al. (2016). Analysis of Power Dynamics and Livelihood Assets in Participatory Forest Management: Experience from Bangladesh. International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, 1(3), 88-98. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20160103.14

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K. K. Islam; Masakazu Tani; Kazuo Asahiro; M. Zulfikar Rahman; Kimihiko Hyakumura, et al. Analysis of Power Dynamics and Livelihood Assets in Participatory Forest Management: Experience from Bangladesh. Int. J. Nat. Resour. Ecol. Manag. 2016, 1(3), 88-98. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnrem.20160103.14

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AMA Style

K. K. Islam, Masakazu Tani, Kazuo Asahiro, M. Zulfikar Rahman, Kimihiko Hyakumura, et al. Analysis of Power Dynamics and Livelihood Assets in Participatory Forest Management: Experience from Bangladesh. Int J Nat Resour Ecol Manag. 2016;1(3):88-98. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnrem.20160103.14

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@article{10.11648/j.ijnrem.20160103.14,
  author = {K. K. Islam and Masakazu Tani and Kazuo Asahiro and M. Zulfikar Rahman and Kimihiko Hyakumura and Takahiro Fujiwara and Noriko Sato},
  title = {Analysis of Power Dynamics and Livelihood Assets in Participatory Forest Management: Experience from Bangladesh},
  journal = {International Journal of Natural Resource Ecology and Management},
  volume = {1},
  number = {3},
  pages = {88-98},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijnrem.20160103.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnrem.20160103.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijnrem.20160103.14},
  abstract = {Participatory forestry (PF) plays a significant role to involve local communities and different actors in resources management and livelihood improvements. However, the power of important actors to misuse the PF for their self-interest has been stated as a key obstacle to success. Hence, this study seeks to identify the most powerful actors and the extent to which they affect PF decision- making and also to measure and evaluate the livelihood assets of participants. Empirical data were collected from Madhupur and Teknaf PF sites of Bangladesh during the different time intervals. The actors’ power analysis found out that the forest administration evidenced itself as the most powerful and influential actors in PF. In the case of livelihood analysis, the overall results indicated that the total value of PF members’ livelihood assets were 0.82 and 0.75 for Madhupur and Teknaf study sites. Livelihood asset conditions were significantly different between the PF members’ and non-members’ (0.65 and 0.62 for non-members’). However, the development of social and financial assets did not reveal a notable increase considering natural, physical and human assets. Therefore, it is very important to pay more attention to accelerate social and financial assets through intensive training, establishing conflicts resolution mechanism and adopting proper tree-crop technologies, and also provide alternative livelihood approaches to the forest dependent people. In addition, there is an immediate need to empower local PF members, by which the general members play the central role in decision making and governing all of their development activities.},
 year = {2016}
}

Copy | Download