Shifting regime shifted policy - Interplay of interests in sustainability discourses of forest land use

This study investigates the influence of policy interests on resource sustainability. Information on \u27colonial interest\u27 of the British regime and the \u27commercial interest\u27 of the post-colonial regimes on forest land use of Bangladesh have been drawn on to show the interplay of interests on sustainability impacts. The findings show that both colonial and commercial interests have caused intensification of forest land use for production of economic crops like teak (Tectona grandis) and cash crops like tea (Camellia sinensis), cotton (Gossypium herbaceum and G. arboreum) and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum). The \u27colonial interest\u27 has also initiated the dispute of ownership, rights and tenure of forest land and resources. The post-colonial regimes have utilized colonial legacy as the privilege for implementing \u27commercial interests\u27. In both the cases traditional interests of people were disregarded. As a result, peoples\u27 participation in forestry was discouraged and the sustainability of forest land use was impeded. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V