CHITTAGONG HILL TRACTS WATERSHED CO-MANAGEMENT ACTIVITY (CHTWCA)

Background 

The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), located in the southeast of Bangladesh, comprises of the three Hill Districts: Bandarban, Khagrachari and Rangamati. The region is home to 13 tribal groups (ethnic minorities or Adivasi), in addition to Bengali, and has a population of nearly 1.6 million. Each of the tribal groups retains a unique language, culture, and tradition. The CHT is geographically distinct from most parts of plainland Bangladesh, as characterized by steep, rugged hilly terrain, and diversity. USAID funded ten-year Chittagong Hill Tracts Watershed Co-Management Activity (CHTWCA) is implemented by UNDP under Strengthening Inclusive Development in CHT (SID-CHT) Project of the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs (MoCHTA). It aims at integrated ecosystem management of forests (headwater Reserved Forests, Protected Areas and Village Common Forests/mauza reserves) and their associated watersheds in partnerships with key stakeholders including local people.

Area of Work 

  • Agriculture, Food security, and Livelihood promotion. 
  • Climate Resilience at household and community levels. 
  • Environment, Forest, and Watershed Co-Management. 
  • Support to Host Community Affected by Rohingya influx. 
  • Sustainable Management of Community Development. 
  • Women’s and Girls’ Empowerment through access and skill education. 
  • Inclusive Education in CHT. 
  • Youth Engagement, Skills, and Employment. 
  • Holistic marketing system. 
  • Strengthening local government for local economic development.

Significant Achievements 

  • 226 Village Common Forests (VCF) Management plans prepared. 
  • 69,306 hectares of forest areas (VCF-14,978 RF-4,445, and PA-49,883 ha)) brought under improved Natural Resource Management (NRM) 
  • 7 Strategic action plans developed by the Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD) 
  • 617 communities are participating in managing the Village Common Forests (VCF), Reserve Forests (RF) and Protected Areas (PAs). 
  • 245,073 (47% female) people received climate-resilient livelihood co-benefits 
  • 148,362 (45% female) people engaged through conservation awareness-raising events and messaging 
  • 143 groups or initiatives developed to resolve conflict or the drivers of conflict in Bandarban.

Expected Results 

Result 1: Strengthened Ecosystem Governance 

Result 2: Resilient Livelihoods with Market Access Improved 

Result 3: Reduced Conflicts and Improved Social Cohesion among Communities for Ecosystem Conservation.

Objectives

Strengthened gender-responsive local resilience through an integrated ecosystem management approach of the CHT

Impact

START DATE

October 2016

END DATE

June 2024

STATUS

Completed

PROJECT OFFICE

Bangladesh

IMPLEMENTING PARTNER

Min of Chittagong Hill Tracts

DONORS

ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

Dept of Forgn Afrs Trade & Dev

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

GOVERNMENT OF DENMARK

SWEDISH INT'L DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION

UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

USAID

USAID for non-LOC agreement

TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS

$43,262,845

DELIVERY IN PREVIOUS YEARS

2016$1,079,069

2017$3,777,206

2018$3,548,696

2019$5,128,387

2020$7,000,653

2021$9,674,051

2022$8,475,453

2023$2,431,800

2024$5,286

Full Project information