Pittachhara Forest & Biodiversity Conservation Initiative
Key species
Hill forest species
Location
Matiranga, Khagrachari
Status
Active
Duration
2017 – present
Target community
Local people
About the project
The Pittachhara Forest & Biodiversity Conservation Initiative is a landscape restoration and conservation project led by Pittachhara Trust to secure and restore privately purchased degraded hill forest land in southwest hill tracts of Bangladesh. The initiative aims to protect remnant hill forest habitat, restore ecological integrity and create a long-term biodiversity refuge in a region under increasing pressure from logging, encroachment and land conversion.
SCOPE Foundation serves as the technical and strategic conservation partner to Pittachhara Trust. SCOPE provides scientific guidance, ecological restoration planning, biodiversity monitoring design, conservation goal-setting and financial support to ensure that land acquisition and restoration efforts are grounded in evidence-based conservation principles.
The problem
– rapid loss and degradation of hill forest habitats in Bangladesh
– conversion of forest land into plantations, agriculture and settlements
– lack of long-term, privately secured conservation areas outside government protected forests
The cause
– deforestation and unsustainable extraction of timber and forest resources
– absence of structured restoration planning on degraded private land
– limited protecting existing hill forests and absence ecological restoration planning in newly acquired degraded lands
The solution
– secure degraded forest land under private conservation ownership
– implement science-based ecological restoration and habitat recovery
– implement science-based biodiversity monitoring to guide adaptive management
Project Goal
To restore and conserve degraded forest habitat in Pittachhara as a long-term biodiversity refuge through private land protection, ecological restoration and evidence-based management.
Project Objectives
– protect existing and restore degraded forest through assisted natural regeneration and targeted planting
– monitor biodiversity recovery using structured scientific protocols
– reduce local pressures such as illegal logging and habitat disturbance
– establish Pittachhara as a model of private forest conservation in Bangladesh
Activities
Pittachhara Trust secured degraded forest land to prevent further conversion and initiate restoration. Assisted natural regeneration and enrichment planting with native species were implemented, alongside protection from grazing and logging.
In 2023, over 3,000 native seedlings representing 38 species were collected from mature forest patches and nearby forests, and a nursery was established with local community involvement. In 2024, more than 2,000 surviving seedlings were planted in the newly acquired degraded area, followed by regular maintenance and survival monitoring.
SCOPE provided technical and strategic support, including restoration planning, species selection guidance, monitoring framework design, and biodiversity assessment. Long-term bird monitoring transects were established across both the existing forest and restoration patches, with seasonal surveys conducted in 2023 and 2024 using standardized point-count methods.
Community engagement initiatives were undertaken to promote local stewardship. A bird hide was constructed to support responsible birdwatching and future conservation-linked income generation, and binoculars were donated to strengthen local biodiversity monitoring capacity.
Outcomes
Degraded forest land has been secured under conservation management and restored through the planting of more than 2,000 native seedlings, significantly increasing vegetation cover and supporting natural regeneration.
Seasonal monitoring recorded 60 bird species across forest and restoration patches, providing a structured biodiversity baseline and early evidence of ecological recovery. Monitoring protocols are now in place to assess long-term restoration impact.
The initiative demonstrates that privately secured forest land, supported by scientific planning and monitoring, can contribute meaningfully to biodiversity conservation in Bangladesh. The partnership between Pittachhara Trust and SCOPE Foundation offers a replicable model for private protected area development in the country.
Meet the Team
Mahfuz Russel
Project Lead
SCOPE science team
Project Design
Image Library
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