Sustainable Development Impacts

Since VTRT started its journey, they were involved in alternative income generating activities. They also encouraged other community people to reduce dependency on forest and forest resources to enhance financial stability and environmental sustainability. VTRT runs honey farms, various fields of handicrafts, and promotes eco-tourism in the communities. Moreover, VTRT initiative has also been incorporated in draft Protected Area Management Rule by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bangladesh.


RESILIENCE, ADAPTABILITY, AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY

VTRT members are residents of local communities who live with the community as an example of a wildlife warrior. There are many VTRT members who get injured by tigers, lost their family members and properties, they are the symbol of unique resistance and tolerance towards tiger in the communities. Despite of those facts, VTRTs continue to disseminate message about the importance of tiger and their habitat protection. Besides, they work to create resilience of human feelings about tiger and balance between emotions and practicality of local communities in this region. Trained VTRTs act as a skill transfer messenger on scientific resource collection, alternative income generations and management of human tiger conflict that make local communities adaptive with any tiger incidences and other environmental challenges around the Sundarbans.VTRT has been formed with combinations of people from different social groups like resource collectors, shopkeeper, teachers, religious leaders, local elected members and doctors what represent almost all social groups of the community. So, VTRT’s activities and decisions ultimately reflected as the community decision. In context of different age groups, VTRT members are from teenagers, young, subadult and adult which is a unique balance of different age groups in a single community like VTRT. Along with that since 2016 female representatives of the community have been serving as VTRT members, which is another unique example of gender equality and equity in voluntary conservation group. For regular activities, VTRT coordinates with local administrative bodies and thus maintain the communications between root level conservation groups and government bodies.


REDUCED INEQUALITIES

VTRT has been formed with combinations of people from different social groups like resource collectors, shopkeeper, teachers, religious leaders, local elected members and doctors what represent almost all social groups of the community. So, VTRT’s activities and decisions ultimately reflected as the community decision. In context of different age groups, VTRT members are from teenagers, young, subadult and adult which is a unique balance of different age groups in a single community like VTRT. Along with that since 2016 female representatives of the community have been serving as VTRT members, which is another unique example of gender equality and equity in voluntary conservation group. For regular activities, VTRT coordinates with local administrative bodies and thus maintain the communications between root level conservation groups and government bodies.


GENDER EQUALITY

Since the formation of VTRTs in 2007, all members were men. The communities around the Sundarbans periphery are mostly conservative and traditionally have not allowed women to work alongside men in physical and potentially dangerous outdoor tasks especially those undertaken by the VTRTs. Nevertheless, through awareness raising activities and with the support of VTRTs, in 2016, 14 women volunteers were inducted into five VTRTs. Currently, there are 20 women volunteers in eight teams and these motivated, courageous women are already having a dramatic effect on community peoples’ attitudes towards both social norms and wildlife conservation in the Sundarbans. Besides, an education program supported by the VTRTs sought to improve the knowledge of, and attitudes towards wildlife, among women throughout the Sundarbans communities. A survey conducted under the USAID’s Bagh Activity revealed that 78.4% women had adequate knowledge on wildlife conservation, while 80.1% showed positive attitudes towards wildlife conservation.

Moreover, to improve women’s empowerment and to reduce the impact on forest resources, women were trained on environmentally sustainable income generation activities, for example, handicrafts and beekeeping where VTRTs and/or their family members participated mostly and VTRT actively provided support to implement the program. Under the USAID’s Bagh Activity, 496 women were trained in these skills which provided them with a potential income stream.


SOCIAL INCLUSION

When the VTRT was formed, it was considered the marginalized community people living adjacent to the Sundarbans Reserved Forest. People living there have poor access to health, education, communication, livelihood and other options. Besides, there were different age groups’ representations in the teams ranging from adult to youth. Youth were included to carry out the conservation activities and bringing significant changes as a change maker in the society in the field of wildlife conservation. Elders like adult people were also included for their acceptance and influence in the society which is considered as a vital part of team management. Among the 340 VTRT members, 80 are youth, 260 adults whereas 45 represent the local influential group (local leader, religious leader, businessman, teacher, etc.) of the community.