UNDERLYING CAUSES OF DEFORESTATION AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT OF MADHUPUR SAL FOREST, BANGLADESH

ABSTRACT The study was intended to explore the underlying causes of deforestation and the major factors responsible for environmental degradation in Madhupur sal forest. Households from four different Garo villages under the Arankhola and Sholakuri union of the forest area were interviewed by following different survey schedules. The study identified that the contribution of mistaken policy intervention was the highest as underlying causes of deforestation when compared with other factors. It also revealed that the commercial logging is the major direct cause of deforestation, which is threatening the native sal forest. The study also identified some factors responsible for environmental degradation in the sal forest including deforestation, over population, industrial plantation, corruption in forest sector and monoculture plantation. Therefore, the study suggests that restrictions on human interference and commercial logging in the forest area need to be imposed as well as policy reforms through the government initiatives is urgently needed to protect the unique sal forest from deforestation and environmental degradation.