IUCN Management Category VIII (Multiple Use Management Area)

Biogeographical Province 4.04.01 (Burman Rainforest)

Geographical Location Lies 80km south of Cox's Bazaar in the Teknaf Peninsula of south-eastern Bangladesh. Stretches from Thainkhali in the north to Teknaf township in the south, all of which is within Cox's Bazaar Forest Division. 21°00'N, 92°20'E

Date and History of Establishment Teknaf is a reserved forest which was declared a game reserve in 1983 under the Bangladesh Wildlife (Preservation) (Amendment) Act, 1974. It includes an area formerly referred to as the Thainkhali Game Reserve (7,770ha) (Government of Bangladesh, 1973).

Area 11,615ha

Land Tenure State

Altitude Ranges from 5m to 700m.

Physical Features The terrain is rugged, with undulating hills aligned in a north-to-south direction and bordering the Bay of Bengal to the west. Soils on the hills are predominantly pale brown (acidic) clay loams and loams developed from shales and siltstones. Perennial water courses, known as 'charas', in the forested hilly areas are the only dependable source of water for elephants in the vicinity.

Climate Moist tropical maritime conditions prevail, with a mean annual rainfall of 4060mm and mean humidity of 81.2% (Khan and Rashid, 1983).

Vegetation Comprises evergreen and semi-evergreen secondary forests, which have regenerated following clear-felling, and teak Tectona grandis plantations. The tropical wet evergreen forest is characterised by chapalish Artocarpus chaplasha, telsur Hopea odorata, chundul Tetrameles nudiflora, pitraj Amoora wallichi, uriam Mangifera longipes, civit Swintonia floribunda, toon Toona ciliata and jam Syzygium spp. It is now confined to deep valleys and shaded slopes with good water supplies. The dense multi-storeyed semi-evergreen forest, typical of the peninsula, ranges in height from 20m to 45m. The top canopy, which includes several deciduous species, is characterised by baitta garjan Dipterocarpus scaber, telya garjan D. turbinatus, dulya garjan D. alatus, koroi Albizia procera, chukka k'oroi A. chinensis, chapalish, uriam, civit, shimul Bombax ceiba and B. insigne, bandarholla Duabanga grandiflora and narikeli Sterculia alata. The second storey is dominated by evergreens, such as batna Quercus sp., jam, Castanopsis sp., jarul Lagerstroemia speciosa, bena Macaranga denticulata, kamdeb Calophylum polyanthum, hargoza Dillenia pentagyna, dharmara Pterospermum personatum, moos P. paniculata, Sterculia villosa, S. colorata, konak Schima wallichii, nageshwar Mesua ferrea, bahera Terminalia bellerica, haritaki T. chebula, champa Michelia champaca, gamar Gmelina arborea and bot Ficus spp. Saplings predominate below the second storey, together with adaliya Meliosma pinnata, naricha Musa ramentacea, dormala Callicarpa arborea, goda Vitex glabrata, kestoma and kechua Glochidion spp., sheora Streblus asper, jalpai Elaeocarpus spp. and bela Semicarpus anacardium. The undergrowth of both evergreen and semi-evergreen forests is dominated by bamboo, the commonest species being muli Melocannia bambusoides, mitenga Bambusa tulda, kaliserri Oxytenanthera auriculata, daloo Teinostachyum dulooa and orah Dendrocalamus longispathus (Khan and Rashid, 1983).

Fauna Teknaf Peninsula still has quite a rich fauna. Moreover, it provides a vital refuge for elephant Elephas maximus (E), estimated in 1982-1983 to number 101, of which 71 resided within an area of 55,000ha and the rest came from the Arakan area of Burma (Reza Khan and Rashid, 1983). Other mammals include rhesus macaque Macaca mulatta, capped langur Presbytis pileata, Hoolock gibbon Hylobates hoolock (V), sloth bear Melursus ursinus (I), hog-badger Arctonyx collaris, crab-eating mongoose Herpestes urva, civets (Viverridae), small cats Felis spp., flying squirrel Petaurista sp. and Malayan giant squirrel Ratufa bicolor (Khan, 1985a). Ungulates present in that part of the park which used to be known as Thainkhali Game Reserve include Indian muntjac Muntiacus muntjak, sambar Cervus unicolor and wild boar Sus scrofa (Olivier, 1979). Leopard Panthera pardus (T) and possibly dhole Cuon alpinus (V) are also present (Olivier, 1979).

The avifauna is diverse and includes kalij pheasant Lophura leucomelana, fruit pigeons, hornbills and woodpeckers (Khan, 1985a).

Reptiles include Malayan box turtle Cuora amboinensis, uncommon in Bangladesh, Indian python Python molurus (V) and monitor Varanus sp. (Khan, 1985a).

Cultural Heritage No information

Local Human Population There are 25-30 villages within the forests of the Peninsula and some 50 villages on their peripheries. Local people, who are largely dependent on forest resources for their livelihood, grow rice, millet, vegetables and pan in the valleys (Khan and Rashid, 1983).

Visitors and Visitor Facilities The reserve has potential for tourism, particularly since Cox's Bazaar, renowned as being the only health resort in the country, is a tourist centre (Khan and Rashid, 1983). There are two rest houses in the vicinity, at Inoni and Teknaf (Olivier, 1979).

Scientific Research and Facilities The elephant population was studied between May 1982 and April 1983 (IUCN/WWF Project 3038) and a management strategy developed to conserve the species (Khan and Rashid, 1983).

Conservation Value Teknaf Peninsula contains the most important tracts of evergreen and semi-evergreen forests in south-eastern Bangladesh (Khan and Rashid, 1983) and about one third of the country's total elephant population, estimated at 300 animals (Khan, 1985b). The Peninsula is also an important wetland site (Scott, 1989), although the wetlands themselves lie outside the reserve.

Conservation Management The reserve was established to protect the elephant population, but the Forest Department continues its operations in the area. Preliminary recommendations for elephant management include: replacing clear-felling with selective felling; replanting cleared areas with indigenous species of trees; establishing corridors to facilitate movement of elephants and other wildlife between cleared areas; and controlling encroachment, grazing by livestock and extraction of bamboo (Khan and Rashid, 1983).

Management Constraints There has been considerable pressure on minor forest products from the coastal people who either fished or grew pan Piper betle. Removal of the forest understorey, to meet local demands for timber, firewood and bamboo, has interfered with natural regeneration. Large areas of forest have been turned into plantations (teak) and, since 1976, Burmese refugee camps have had a severe local impact on forests (Womersley, 1979). Most accessible areas on the Peninsula have been clear-felled or subjected to shifting cultivation, with the result that little virgin forest remains. Regeneration is hindered, due to the pressure of livestock and other forms of disturbance, and the vegetation is changing towards a drier scrub-forest or savannah, characterised by sungrass Imperata cylindrica, bhat Clerodendrum infortunatum, Lantana camara, Eupatorium odoratum, Melostoma sp. and others. The main elephant food, bamboo, has largely been extracted and replaced by unpalatable plants, such as Lantana and Eupatorium. This has probably been responsible for the increased raiding of crops, particularly by solitary elephants. Oil palm has recently been introduced to a 4,000ha area but is damaged by migratory elephants and, to a much greater extent, by porcupines. In 1978-1983, over 400ha of forested land was encroached by villagers with the authority of the Forest Department and others. Bamboo is extracted at an estimated rate of 10,000 canes per week, and some 8,000 cattle and water buffalo are taken daily into the forests for grazing, except possibly from January to April (Khan and Rashid, 1983).

Staff Forest guards

Budget No information

Local Addresses

No information

References

Government of Bangladesh (1973). Development of wildlife management and game reserves. Forest Department, Dacca.

Olivier, R.C.D. (1979). Wildlife conservation and management in Bangladesh. UNDP/FAO Project BGD/72/005. FAO, Forest Research Institute, Chittagong. 121 pp.

Khan, M.A.R. (1985a). Future conservation directions for Bangladesh. In: Thorsell, J.W. (Ed.) Conserving Asia's natural heritage: the planning and management of protected areas in the Indomalayan Realm. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. Pp. 114-124.

Khan, M.A.R. (1985b). Mammals of Bangladesh. Nazma Reza, Dhaka. 92 pp.

Khan, M.A.R. and Rashid, S.M.A. (1983). Development of an elephant management plan for the Cox's Bazar Forest of Bangladesh. Unpublished report to WWF/IUCN, Gland. 13 pp.

Sarker, N.M. and Fazlul Huq, A.K.M. (1985). Country report on national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and game reserves of Bangladesh. Prepared for the 25th Working Session of IUCN's Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas. Corbett National Park, India. 4-8 February 1985. 5 pp.

Scott, D.A. (Ed.) (1989). A Directory of Asian wetlands. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

Womersley, J.S. (1979). Botanic Garden Dacca, commercial horticultural forest botany and national parks. UNDP/FAO Project BGD/72/005. FAO, Forest Research Institute, Chittagong. 71 pp.

WWF/IUCN Project No. 3033. Bangladesh, Cox's Bazar Forest, elephant management plan.

Date May 1987, updated August 1990