Evaluating social equity in protected areas (PAs) co-management: A case study of the Sundarbans mangrove forest, Bangladessh

Protected areas (PA) co-management can offer equitable benefits from global-to-local level. Therefore, social equity has come out as a vital goal in PA co-management for ethical and instrumental reasons. In Bangladesh context, however, social equity issues have been less studied in PA co-management. This study was conducted in the Sundarbans of Bangladesh, and we evaluated social equity as multidimensional concepts of recognitional, procedural and distributional equity. We employed mixed approaches including 122 structured interviews using 5-point Likert scale, 15 Key Informants Interview and 4 Focus Group Discussion to collect data on equity perception. Mean and frequency (percent) were calculated and generalized linear models were performed to analyze the predictor’s influence on perception of equity. The results showed that recognitional equity perceived high, while procedural and distributional equity perceived moderate and low respectively. Findings would be useful for decision-makers and practitioners in framing and executing policies towards equitable PA co-management.

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