Originally published in The Business Standard. Click here to read the original Story

An eagle glides across the hilltops and settles on a teak branch in a vast forested landscape that the Chakma community has protected for generations. It is still morning. Winter mist lingers, with the sun concealed behind the hills.

Layers of hills recede into the distance, wrapped in a soft haze. A lone brick road winds through the forest, and on either side, traces of human settlement quietly emerge atop gentle slopes. Amid the greenery, a Buddhist temple's stupa and a school building come into view.

"There is a 700-acre village common forest (VCF). We call it a reserve forest; some also refer to it as parabon or mouzabon," said Michael Chakma, one of the forest's dedicated protectors. The forest lies in 52 No Pablakhali Mouza of Dighinala upazila in Khagrachari district.

At first glance, it is difficult for visitors to tell where human habitation ends and the reserve forest begins. As Michael put it, "The forest is so vast that once you go deep inside, you are completely alone with nature."

Pablakhali VCF is entirely protected and managed by the local Chakma community. At a time when the Chattogram Hill Tracts (CHT) are facing increased resource extraction, deforestation, soil degradation, and biodiversity loss, this forest has emerged as a model of revival and community-led conservation.

"We do not allow anyone to collect resources in large quantities. People can only take what they need from resources that grow abundantly, such as fish, crabs, bamboo shoots, and vegetables," said Bikash Chakma, headman of the mouza. Traditionally, VCFs across the CHT are led by the mouza headman and village karbaris.

Among the 379 VCFs across the three CHT districts, Pablakhali is one of the largest. The mouza is home to around 1,200 families across eight paras (villages). At least 500 families live in extreme poverty and depend heavily on forest resources.

Despite this vulnerability, the community has shown resilience, supported by interventions from local government bodies, NGOs and international organisations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

This coexistence between people and forest began at least 60-70 years ago during the reign of Chakma Raja Tridib Roy. Recalling the history, Bikash said, "Parts of the Maini Reserve Forest were declared open by the British. People were allowed to settle, cultivate land, and collect forest resources. Later, the mouza was established."

Over time, the area of reserve forest has shrunk as the population has grown and resource extraction has continued.

Today, the 700-acre forest is home to at least 60 plant species, along with diverse wildlife, birds, reptiles, fish, and snails.

Two large streams and several creeks — locally known as chorra or jhiri — flow along two sides of the forest. These water bodies support a variety of fish and crab species until the dry season. Villagers said they only catch fish during the monsoon, when the streams are full.

Teak (segun) dominates the forest, alongside sal, mahogany, gamhar, and white siris. Herbs, roots, and other medicinal plants are also abundant.

The forest is rich in bamboo species. Residents collect limited quantities during the harvesting season for house construction, household items, and bamboo shoots, a popular vegetable known locally as bashkorol. The collection requires permission from the mouza headman.

A study by Zabarang Kalyan Samity documented 17 common animal and bird species, including fishing cats, monkeys, deer, junglefowl, wild pigs, tortoises, and porcupines. With relatively abundant resources and higher biodiversity than many other VCFs in the CHT, Pablakhali has largely recovered compared to its condition a decade ago.

A community safeguarding the forest

At noon, Michel and fellow volunteers Purno Bikash, Sunil Kanti and Tuhin Chakma gathered at a tea stall along the brick road after returning from the forest.

"Every day we patrol the forest to check for illegal activities," said Tuhin, a karbari from Kripapur village near the forest. "This includes cutting trees or bamboo, or anything that could harm the forest."

Awareness among villagers has increased significantly. "Even five years ago, people were reckless," said headman Bikash. "They collected resources excessively, and recovery took a long time. Now that has changed."

"However, this would have been difficult without the intervention of the district council and UNDP," he added.

In 2017, the Khagrachari District Council formally declared Pablakhali a VCF and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UNDP to jointly protect forest resources, biodiversity, and ecosystems.

Under the project Biodiversity and Ecosystem Restoration for Community Resilience in Chittagong Hill Tracts, funded by the Canadian government, UNDP and the district council worked with communities living alongside the forest.

"Our focus is not only VCF management but also biodiversity conservation — protecting ecosystems and reducing pressure on forests," said Suketon Chakma, district officer of the project.

The district council selected three paras and formed a biodiversity conservation group (BCG), comprising residents who depend on forest resources such as firewood, bamboo, and timber.

"We provide training and small-scale financial support to reduce dependency on forest resources," said Chinglamon Chawdhury, public relations officer of the Khagrachari District Council.

Villagers said some forest-dependent families received Tk7,000 in cash during and after the Covid-19 period.

To further reduce pressure on the forest, the district council introduced alternative livelihood training, including organic soap-making, livestock rearing, apiculture, and other agriculture-based activities.

Visible improvements have followed. Piroj Chakma, a villager, admitted that he once regularly cut trees and collected forest resources. "I had no choice; I had to survive," he said. "Now I try not to collect anything except fish, crabs, and vegetables."

Officials from UNDP and the district council have conducted multiple visits and para meetings. "People now understand the importance of protecting the forest for long-term sustainability," said headman Bikash.

He added that he and nine karbaris from different paras recently attended training and workshops at the district council on managing the forest without extracting resources or harming biodiversity.

Local NGOs, including the Central Network of Village Common Forests, Arannayk Foundation, and Zabarang Kalyan Samity, also receive funding to support biodiversity protection. Their work includes training on climate change adaptation, resilient livelihoods, market access, wildlife hunting prevention, and bamboo clump management.

Life goes on among hardships

As the afternoon turned to evening, Michel and the others continued their conversation. Rita Chakma then climbed the hillside, balancing three metal pots on her head and carrying another in her hand.

"During the dry season, we face severe water shortages. Very little water remains in the streams," Rita said. "This is my second trip today. This water is only for cooking and drinking."

For bathing and washing clothes, she must walk much farther, often along steep and isolated paths. The journey is physically exhausting and poses serious safety risks, particularly for women.

Once known for its rich biodiversity, the CHT region is now facing an acute water crisis that disrupts daily life and livelihoods.

Climate change, combined with unplanned land and resource management, has intensified these challenges.

"In recent decades, climate change and unplanned land and resource management have made life increasingly difficult in the hills," said Philip Gain, a researcher who has worked in the CHT for decades. "Summers are becoming longer, monsoon rains are more irregular, and natural water sources are drying up."

Due to the region's remote and hilly terrain, installing conventional water supply systems such as deep tube wells remains extremely difficult. As a result, the water crisis worsens each year, and the demand for safe drinking water continues to grow.

"Streams have always been our lifelines," said Bangu Chakma from Dojorpara. "We dig wells in the streams and channel the water to our fields."

He said villagers once found water easily, but prolonged dry seasons have drastically reduced water flow. "We cannot cultivate in summer because there is no water. During the monsoon, land and wells are often washed away, and the water becomes muddy and unsafe to drink."

Water scarcity is one of many challenges faced by forest-adjacent communities in Pablakhali mouza.

Sukhshanti Chakma and his two brothers inherited a small plot of land. They grow rice on limited flat land at the base of the hills and cultivate broom grass on the surrounding slopes once a year.

As jhum cultivation is prohibited, farming is restricted to inherited land. Broom grass, which is less harmful to the soil, has become a preferred crop.

"We don't have enough land for rice cultivation," Sukhshanti said. "Broom grass brings a little income, but it's not enough."

Agriculture is increasingly constrained by water scarcity, keeping production low and livelihoods fragile.

Infrastructure poses another major challenge. Transport, electricity, and healthcare services are limited.

"Seven or eight years ago, there was no brick road through the forest," said Onil Bikash Chakma of Milonpur. "We had to walk long distances just to reach the bazaar."

Electricity has yet to reach the community, cutting residents off from basic services available just a few kilometres downhill.

Healthcare is among the most urgent needs. Medical emergencies are especially difficult for women and children.

"When my daughter was born, I became seriously ill at night," said Shantona Chakma from Shantipur village. "The hospital is five kilometres away, and there was no way to reach it quickly."