On the basis of your discussion, I have put up a summary of all relevant issues in my earlier posting on this blog. We already have identified the major problems including some strategies and some doable actions. Yet I feel that we have a long way to go, and we need more discussion on VCFs issues from different perspectives – economic, political, legal, environment and cultural.
Photo: Ripan Chakma, Khagrachari
Today I am writing again to draw your kind attention to the two interrelated issues regarding VCF management in the CHT, Bangladesh. I look forward to your views on these issues:
a) A Vision for VCF: should we a vision for VCF? For how many years - for 5 years or10 years or any thought on it? Please share your vision for VCF in one sentence with us.
b) A Community protocol (CP): community people have been following the customary rules. However, to meet the need of time, should they have written rules (which I call community protocol)? Please note, these rules should be based on the existing customs and the best practices. A CP should look like a ‘constitution’ for the villagers to manage and protect their VCFs in a sustainable manner. If you agree with the idea of ‘community protocol’, please feel free to share your views about it, and what topics (e.g. management, control, access, prevention of encroachment and so on) should be included in the CP?
Let's have a collective dream, let's have a collective vision for VCF. Yours today’s participation will set in rays of hopes in people; your little idea can set in a big change in life, society and the world. Please share ideas for a social change.
Regards
Ashok
Hello,
ReplyDeleteWell, very interesting. thanks so much for your sharing.
good luck
Hung
Hi Hung
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog. See you tomorrow.
All the best
Ashok
In my point of view, your project is really interesting as well as appropriate not only CHT context, in fact, I believe this type of project should implement around the world. I feel that, this project meets the demand of sustainable development criteria which save the people and planet at a time. Therefore, I would say, you are on the way of long term continuous process which ensures public participation in decision making process considering three components: environment, society and economy and that cover broader areas of sustainability to bring positive impacts of present and future generation.
ReplyDeleteLooking back at history, before industrial revolution, people depended on the natural resources by practicing common forest system. In the period of industrial revolution in mid 1800AD, a huge amount of natural resources used into modern technology towards better life. As a result of technological intervention many factories, urbanization, population, air pollution, river contamination have been increased whole over the world. This planet passed just about 150 years. During small period people harmed this globe that was not done in millions of years before. Human being did it in the name of development but most of them came as counter development. Later on, In 1960s altough people could realized that most of the technological involvement and economic growth brought negative impact rather than positive in the planet , but they could not get back . No doubt, if we want to sustain the world, we have to promote indigenous practices.
Hi Bipasha
ReplyDeleteThanks for your nice comments. You have rightly pointed out that three components: environment, society and economy should be at the centre of planning and development intervention. Accordingly, I believe, these components should be included in framing the community vision and community protocol.
Cheers
Ashok
It’s nice to think that communities have a vision for their VCF, in relation with ‘how, what things do they want to achieve within a time frame? and what will be the next step’? In my views, the time frame should be long term but must be divided in several clusters and it might be divided in short term, midterm and long term. I mean more specific activities within the time frame. And the time frame should be 7 to 15 years, even though it is a very little time for creating a forest and accepting the truth man can’t create any forest.
ReplyDeleteFor the second point, we can remember the movie AVATAR directed by James Cameron. He showed and proved that modernization can’t protect the forest as well as the civilization. Now this is time to think the transformation in different way, where community people have mass participation. No doubt, CP idea is very nice and it can protect and promote the VCF, and adding with this, we have to emphasize on future civilization needs that ensure the environment sustainability. We have to just think, Are the existing customary rules and best practices enough for the next forward, if so for how long?