The Chunoti Co-Management Committee (CMC) protects the once-degraded Chunoti Wildlife Sanctuary through the coordination of volunteer patrols and reinvestment of ecotourism revenues into conservation activities. Illegal logging and unsustainable resource extraction were threatening the Chunoti forest. The community mobilized and advocated for a protected area co-management arrangement with the government. Women-led community patrol groups monitor the forest to prevent illegal logging and poaching. Forest conservation has directly translated to increases in resident populations of Asian elephants and several bird species.

An ecotourism enterprise has created needed jobs and offers a revenue stream to fund investment in community infrastructure projects. Local women have also been supported to start small-scale businesses. The Chunoti co-management model has been replicated across Bangladesh, and has resulted in the official recognition by the national government of the need to include communities in protected area decision-making.

 

Key Facts 

Equator Prize Winner: 2012

Founded: 2004

Location: Chittagong Division

Beneficiaries: Approximately 9,400 households

Biodiversity: 7,764-hectare Chunoti Wildlife Sanctuary

 

Case Study

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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