Ecological and economical significance of homestead forest to the household of the offshore island in Bangladesh

Abstract

An explanatory survey was conducted to assess the contribution of plant diversity to the ecological and socio-economic condition of the rural household in the offshore island of Bangladesh. Assessment was done by means of multistage random sampling. The homestead sizes of the study area were classified into 3 groups viz, large (>0.25 ha), medium (0.05–0.25 ha) and small (<0.05 ha) based on the result obtained from a preliminary survey, and a total of 45 homesteads, 15 from each group, were selected randomly for the study. The average annual income from homestead’s plant diversity varied from Tk 5730.00 (US$95.5) to Tk 17500.00 (US$291.67). The rural people were mainly dependent on their homegarden for woodfuel and nutritional requirement as forest was unavailable in the island. The rural people here also cultivated the plant species as a safety measure from frequent cyclone. Constraints hindering the development of homestead plantation were identified and suggestions were given such as the adequate supply of seedlings of fast growing native species and conservation of endangered species to meet the demand of the household as well as to keep ecological balance.

Keywords

Bangladesh / demand / economical significance / homestead forest / offshore island