Deforestation, Development, and Emerging Environmental Risks in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh

Md Nadiruzzaman; Hosna J Shewly; Sharif A Mukul; Bazlur Rashid; Orchisman Dutta

doi:10.20944/preprints202503.0884.v1

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Deforestation, Development, and Emerging Environmental Risks in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh

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Deforestation, Development, and Emerging Environmental Risks in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh

Md Nadiruzzaman, Hosna J Shewly, Sharif A Mukul, Bazlur Rashid and Orchisman Dutta

Preprints.org, Vol.12 March 2025

MDPI AG

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202503.0884.v1

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Abstract

climate change

Bangladesh

livelihoods

conflict

everyday life

marginality

environmental onsets

Although Bangladesh is frequently regarded as ʹground zeroʹ for climate change, the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) have only recently been recognized for their environmental vulnerabilities, particularly following the severe rainfall and landslides of 2017. However, attributing these risks solely to climate change oversimplifies the complex interplay of environmentally unsustainable ʹdevelopmentʹ projects, extensive (il)legal deforestation, and localized socio‐political dynamics. Using a mixed‐method approach, this study investigates the convergence of climate trends with these broader drivers of environmental risk, drawing on meteorological data and qualitative insights from diverse local communities (n=400). The findings reveal a critical gap in climate‐specific data for CHT, complicating the attribution of observed changes solely to climatic factors. Instead, the evidence underscores significant risks stemming from the combined effects of land degradation, water scarcity, flash floods, landslides, and other disturbances tied to deforestation and neoliberal development. This paper advances theoretical discussions by challenging climate‐only narratives and emphasizing the need to analyze environmental risks within their localized socio‐ecological contexts. It contributes to the growing body of scholarship advocating for context‐sensitive frameworks that move beyond generalized attributions of climate change as the root cause of all environmental vulnerabilities, thereby promoting more nuanced, equitable, and regionally attuned policy responses.

Details

Title: Deforestation, Development, and Emerging Environmental Risks in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh
Authors: Md Nadiruzzaman (Author) - Maastricht University
Hosna J Shewly (Corresponding Author) - University of Amsterdam
Sharif A Mukul - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Tropical Forests and People Research Centre
Bazlur Rashid (Author) - Bangladesh Meteorological Department (Bangladesh, Dhaka) - BMD
Orchisman Dutta (Author) - Progress Inc (Bangladesh, Dhaka) - PI
Publication details: Preprints.org, Vol.12 March 2025
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date published: 2025
DOI: 10.20944/preprints202503.0884.v1
ISSN: 2310-287X
Copyright note: This open access article is published under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0license, which permit the free download, distribution, and reuse, provided that the authorand preprint are cited in any reuse.
Data Availability: The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author.
Organisation Unit: Tropical Forests and People Research Centre
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991128805602621
Output Type: Preprint

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