Citizen Science

CITIZEN SCIENCE OF FOREST PEOPLES IN THE SUNDARBANS FOCUS ON THE ROLE OF TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE IN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION Presented on 4 October 2015, Sunday in National Seminar on Citizen Science and Participatory Action Research Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban, University of Dhaka

Hasan Mehedi www.cleanbd.org www.mangropedia.org

"In the end we will conserve only what we love. We love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught." Baba Dioum New Delhi, 1968 Citizen Science of Forest Peoples in the Sundarbans: Focus on the role of Traditional Knowledge in Environmental Education

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MANGROVES OF BANGLADESH • World's largest single tract mangrove forest • 5th largest mangrove covered country of the world (3.95%) • Total area: 6,324 Km2 in which 6,017 Km2 in Sundarbans only (land & water) • UNESCO World Heritage Site (#792, 1997) • Ramsar Site (1992)

Citizen Science of Forest Peoples in the Sundarbans: Focus on the role of Traditional Knowledge in Environmental Education

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MANGROVE SPECIES Mangrove Species of the Sundarbans 14%

3%

Non Mangrove

4%

Major Mangrove Minor Mangrove Mangrove Associate

79%

Total: 561 Citizen Science of Forest Peoples in the Sundarbans: Focus on the role of Traditional Knowledge in Environmental Education

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ROLE OF MANGROVES


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PEOPLE AND THE SUNDARBANS • 300 thousand people directly and 1.3 million people indirectly depend on Sundarbans for their lives and livelihoods • Strong evidence of settlements in early 15th Century: (Shekhertek) • Huge migration from northern zone in 12th Century (Nere, Chandal) • Present communities can recall only 250 years of oral history (Mosque, Temples)

Frederic Peter Layard (1839)


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THE FOREST PEOPLE Forest People Communities of the Sundarbans 1.5%

1.0% 0.7% 1.2% 2.0%

Bawali (Wood Collector) Moual (Honey Collector) Jele (Fisher folk) Chunari (Lime-maker)

48.2%

Kathkurani (Fuelwood Collector)

41.2%

Jongrakhota (Snail Collector) Sutar (Boat-craftman) Others

4.2%

Total: 300,800


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PEOPLE'S KNOWLEDGE ON SPECIES Local Names of the Mangrove Species

86.1% of mangrove species has local names. Among them only 23 species have double names. This rate is 77.9% in India, 72.7% in Australia and 68.4% in Cayman Islands.

0.5% 4.1%

9.3%

Single Name Double Name Tripple Name 86.1%


No Name

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HOW MANY NAMES THEY KNOW? Average number of local names per Species

Australia, Cayman Island 5.77 6.00 and Belize has the least 5.00 3.94 rate of local names of the 4.00 3.19 species (92-95%). It is 3.00 2.36 2.15 2.13 happened due to: 1.86 1.72 2.00 1.37 1.24 • Using English names as 0.95 0.92 0.92 1.00 local names • Modern lifestyle and less dependency on forest resources. On the other hand, Scaevola taccada has 23 local names in Indonesia. So, it is very tough for the students to identify the species by using a local name. Citizen Science of Forest Peoples in the Sundarbans: Focus on the role of Traditional Knowledge in Environmental Education

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USE OF MANGROVE SPECIES Total: 561

Use of Mangrove Species by Forest Peoples Timber

5%

Medicine

25%

Fuelwood

9%

Fruit and Vegetables

10% 0%

5%

10%

15%

20%


25%

30%

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FIDDLER CRAB & OTHER NAMES • Fiddler Crab


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BELIEFS & CONSERVATION

• • • • • •

Bonobibi Gazi Kalu Champabati Shah Jangali Dakshin Roy


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BELIEFS TO CONSERVATION  There are some traditional rules and customary rules derived from the beliefs: • Prayer/Puja before starting journey to the Forest • Dedicating fouls to Bonobibi before entering in the forest • Not to cut all trees from single bush of Garan (Ceriops tagal) • Not to cut middle and supporting leaves of Golpata (Nypa palm) • Honoring the forest (by stepping right foot first and prayer) • Not to enter in the forest on weekly and other holidays • Not to use saw in the forest Citizen Science of Forest Peoples in the Sundarbans: Focus on the role of Traditional Knowledge in Environmental Education

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PROVERBS & LIFESTYLE PvBi †PvL Av‡Q hvi ev‡N gUKvqbv Nvo Zvi

`uvwo‡i hw` K‡iv gvwS gvS `wiqvq KvRvKvwR

hvi hnb Kcvj †cv‡o `y‡eŸve‡b evN †Nv‡i

w`b _vKwZ nv‡U hvI eqm _vKwZ LvB‡U hvI

evN ï‡qv‡ii iv‡R¨ _vwn g‡bi K_v g‡b ivwn

Rv‡Z hw` †cU bv fÕ‡i jvf †bB †m RvZ aÕ‡i

Kuy‡o Miæ Agv †Luv‡R Pvlv wKš‘K me †ev‡S

avb e‡ov ab, Avi ab MvB †mvbviƒ‡cv Avi me QvB


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CROPPING IN SALINITY

Suaeda maritima Citizen Science of Forest Peoples in the Sundarbans: Focus on the role of Traditional Knowledge in Environmental Education

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HOUSES IN CYCLONES

Double thatched houses in Koyra Citizen Science of Forest Peoples in the Sundarbans: Focus on the role of Traditional Knowledge in Environmental Education

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WATER MANAGEMENT


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HOW TO TRANSFER THESE Journalists

Forest Department


Policy Leaders

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THANK YOU [email protected] [email protected] Citizen Science of Forest Peoples in the Sundarbans: Focus on the role of Traditional Knowledge in Environmental Education

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