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Internship Report 2017
1. Course Title: Internship Program
Course No. ENV499
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Submitted to
Dr. Ayaz Rabbani
Senior Lecturer,
Department of Environmental Science
Independent University, Bangladesh
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Submitted by
Shariful Islam
Student ID: 1330744
Department of Environmental Science
Independent University, Bangladesh
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Submission Date
April 19, 2017
Internship Report
2. Abstract
I have completed my internship program at the USAID’s Tiger Activity which funded by United States Agency
for International Development- USAID and implanted by an international NGO WildTeam. USAID’s tiger
project is licensed under the ministry of environment and forest, Bangladesh and it acts as a biggest tiger
conservation activity in the Sundarbans, for the researchers and it offers internship opportunities to the
students in need of education about environment, conservation, animals, horticulture and other related
departments like accounting, social media marketing, event management and procurement. Internship is
an opportunity to relate what has been covered in class and what is applicable in the field in an operational
environment. The purpose of the program is to fulfill the core equipment for the award of a Bachelor Degree
in Environmental Science and Management to get a practical aspect of the theoretical work studied at the
university and to understand the operations in the environment sector and to enable students gain
experience in different tasks. During my internship period a number of approaches and exposure methods
were used which included, field study, hands-on, through reading relevant materials, and also questions
and answer approaches.
I was assigned to communication and outreach departments which include the partnership department,
local campaign department and this helped me interact with different people, researchers and this helped
me a lot to acquire information and gain the practical experience in the environment and conservation
sector. I gained knowledge on how to evaluate the ecological data, communicate with different
organizations and agencies, how to write a concept note for an event, how to analyze data using different
statistical packages, Excel and Access. This was an opportunity to develop and enhance skills and
competencies in my career field which will help me a lot to pursue my next footstep.
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3. Acknowledgement:
I would like to express my heartiest gratitude to my academic supervisor Dr. Ayaz Rabbani, Senior Lecturer,
Independent University, Bangladesh for his heartful encouragement and supervision during my internship
period.
I express my deep and sincere gratitude to the WildTeam and USAID’s Tiger Conservation Activity for
offering me this unique internship opportunity.
I also express my deep sense of gratitude to my office supervisor Mr. Tanver Hossain & Md. Nassir Uddin
and all office staffs for the good corporation they had with me during the training period.
I want to thanks my fellow colleagues for their help and good cooperation during my internship period.
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4. Table of Content Page No.
1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………6
2. Organization Mission & Vision……………………………………………………………………………………….6
3. Organization Background…………………………………………………………………………………………….…7
4. Tiger Conservation Activities………………………………………………………………………………….……….8
5. Taking Tiger Forward……………………………………………………………………………………………….……..8
6. Five Components in Conservation………………………………………………………………………….……….9
6.1. Component 1: Expanded knowledge Based……………………………………………….………..9
6.2. Component 2: Combating Illegal Wildlife Crime………………………………………………….10
6.3. Component 3: Minimized Human Wildlife Conflict………………………………………………11
6.4. Component 4: Communication, Outreach and Gender Engagement…………………..12
6.5. Component 5: Improve Livelihoods for Conservation………………………………………….13
7. Learnings and Experience……………………………………………………………………………………………….14
9. Challenges and Recommendations………………………………………………………………………………..15
10. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………16
11. References…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….17
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5. List of Abbreviations
Bagh USAID’s Bengal Tiger Conservation Activity (USAID’s Bagh Activity)
BCAS Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies
CCF Chief Conservator of Forests
COP Chief of Party
CREL Climate Resilient Ecosystems and Livelihoods
DFO Divisional Forest Officer
ETRT Emergency Tiger Response Team
EU European Union
FD Forest Department
FTRT Forest Tiger Response Team
GoB Government of Bangladesh
GPS Global Positioning System
HTC Human-Tiger Conflict
ICT Institutional Capacity Development and Training
IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature
MoEF Ministry of Environment & Forests
M&E Monitoring & Evaluation
NGO Non-Governmental Organization
PEC Project Evaluation Committee
SEALS Sundarbans Environmental and Livelihoods Security
SERC Smithsonian Environment Research Center
SI Smithsonian Institution
SMART Spatial Monitoring and Research Tool
SOW Scope of work
USAID United States Agency for International Development
VTRT Village Tiger Response Team
FTRT Forest Tiger Response Team
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6. 1. Introduction
USAID’s Tiger Activity is a four years long project which initiated from 2014 to conserve the tiger and wild
habitat in the Sundarbans through different activities and implantations. This project funded by USAID and
implanted by WildTeam with the leadership of forest department which knowledgeably supported by the
Smithsonian Institute, USA and strategically supported by the Bangladesh Center for Advanced Studies-
BCAS. The whole project called as “Bagh” to making it short.
The Sundarbans Reserved Forest (SRF) is the largest contiguous mangrove forest remaining in the world. It
provides the last remaining wildlife habitat for important wildlife species, including the apex predator, the
Bengal Tiger. The area is internationally recognized under the Ramsar convention and includes three wildlife
sanctuaries, encompassing 139,698 hectares, which have been declared as ‘World Heritage site’ by UNESCO
in 1997. Bagh works with the government, local community stakeholders and civil society partners at the
national and field level to conserve tiger and biodiversity of the Sundarbans. To ensure sustainability of its
objectives Bagh works through five distinct, yet integrated components focusing on tiger conservation.
There five different offices of this tiger project. Project head office located on the Gulshan-2, Dhaka 1212
and the other 4 offices located on the periphery of Sundarbans including Chandpai range, Shoronkhola
range, Khulna and Shatkhira district in Bangladesh.
2. Mission & Vision
The WildTeam and Tiger project vision is a future with more wildlife to enrich people’s lives and more wild
places for the magnificent diversity of life on earth. The mission of the WildTeam carrying out activities to
improve the conservation status of key species and habitats in Bangladesh, and developing partnerships,
tools, and platforms to build the capacity of organizations and individuals to carry out effective
conservation. WildTeam changing the game for nature by reconnecting people and wildlife, bringing people
together to work for a common purpose, and breaking down barriers that stand in the way of a wild and
wonderful earth. Right now, project is concentrating an effort in Bangladesh. Here the goal of TigerTeam
work is to see a Sundarbans packed full of tigers, in line with the vision of the Bangladesh Tiger Action Plan.
To reach this goal, WildTeam have three key activities Social change, Living with tigers, and Wild science.
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7. 3. Organization Background
WildTeam, formerly Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh (WTB), was established in 2003 by a small group of
dedicated conservationists, with the aim of protecting the rapidly disappearing natural assets of Bangladesh.
In 2012, the organization’s name was changed to WildTeam, giving a fresh new look that represents its
identity and objectives in a better way. WildTeam is based in Bangladesh and governed by Bangladeshi
board members. WildTeam also registered as a charity in England and Wales in 2012, to support the
Bangladesh work and to create a base to help save tigers and other wildlife internationally. In 2013,
WildTeam became a registered non-government organization in Bangladesh under the NGO Affairs Bureau.
Today, WildTeam employs over 90 staff, many of which come direct from communities with whom we work
to ensure we are working from within. We also work closely with the Bangladesh Forest Department and
the Ministry of Environment and Forests to support them in their role as custodians of the country’s wildlife
and wilderness.
Since establishment, WildTeam has been working to protect endangered species and their ecosystems in
Bangladesh, including the Hoolock Gibbon of northeastern region, the elephants of north, central and the
southeast, the bears of northeast, southeast, north and central regions; and the birds of northeastern haors
and coastal areas. WildTeam has also been involved in identifying and learning from community-based
conservation groups via our Community Conserved Areas assessment in the northeast, north, central and
southeast. This is all part of our wish to access the wealth of community knowledge that already exists and
which often holds the key to nature conservation success.
In 2008, WildTeam merged with the Sundarbans Tiger Project (STP) which is currently known as TigerTeam
initiative, a joint initiative of the University of Minnesota (UMN) and the Bangladesh Forest Department.
Since then, WildTeam has worked predominantly in the Sundarbans mangrove forest ecosystem, home to
the Royal Bengal Tiger: a flagship species for the ecosystem and symbol of pride for Bangladesh. Currently,
WildTeam is leading the implementation of USAID’s Bengal Tiger Conservation Activity, under the guidance
of the Forest Department, and with technical support from the Smithsonian Institution and Bangladesh
Centre for Advance Studies (BCAS).
In recognition of conservation efforts in Bangladesh, WildTeam was honored to be awarded the prestigious
‘Bangabandhu Award for Wildlife Conservation’ in 2011.
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8. 4. Tiger Conservation Activities
The Sundarbans, which means beautiful forest, is the beating green heart of Bangladesh. As wilderness areas
and biodiversity keeps shrinking worldwide, the Sundarbans still stands strong as the world’s largest
mangrove forest, a world heritage site, and most significantly as the home to the majestic Bengal tigers- a
symbol of pride for Bangladesh.
The wild tigers in Bangladesh Sundarbans are facing tremendous challenges for their existence. Though
tigers inhabited in almost all the greater districts of Bangladesh in the past, the wonderful creature is now
critically endangered; and in a sharply declining trail, just around a hundred tigers have hardly survived only
in the Sundarbans. If we cannot still conserve the last population of tigers, the Sundarbans and its
biodiversity will be at risk of extinction and one sixty million people of Bangladesh will have nothing left to
feel proud of being a ‘nation of the tiger'. To be optimistic- the last chance is not yet over. Conserving the
Sundarbans and its biodiversity by protecting the tigers with the united efforts of the government, business
sector, other stakeholders and the general mass; has now become the demand of the time.
USAID has joined hands with the Government of Bangladesh to protect wild tigers in Bangladesh through
the Bengal Tiger Conservation Activity (Bagh). Through 2018, the Bagh Activity will work on making the
relationship between the Sundarbans and the adjacent people stronger and safer by empowering
communities and institutions in taking ownership of protecting the majestic Bengal tiger and its magnificent
forest home. As USAID’s Bagh Activity moves forward, Bagh will ensure more than the survival of
Sundarbans tigers. Saving tigers will save the Sundarbans from all threats towards animals, vegetation, and
people - this is the focal approach of the Bagh Activity. When tigers thrive in the wild, it will also ensure the
survival of thousands of wild flora and fauna of the Sundarbans and protect the green mangrove wall that
shields millions of people from natural disasters and supports their livelihoods.
5. Taking Tiger forward
A hundred years ago, Bengal tigers roamed in many parts of Bangladesh. Although the numbers have
reduced significantly, the Sundarbans is still home to the largest single population of tigers in the world
and is a global stronghold for biodiversity. In undertaking the Bagh Activity, USAID and the Government of
Bangladesh have recognized the important role that a charismatic species like the tiger can play in
conservation and socio-economic empowerment.
Under the leadership of the Bangladesh Forest Department, USAID’s Bagh Activity is implemented by
WildTeam, an organization working for biodiversity conservation in Bangladesh since 2003. The Bagh
Activity also receives technical support from the Smithsonian Institution and the Bangladesh Centre for
Advanced Studies.
From spreading conservation awareness in the communities living adjacent to the Sundarbans to increasing
vigilance against wildlife crime, Bagh has been engaging people, institutions, and policymakers together
with the opportunity to contribute to tiger conservation in five components:
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9. 6. Five Components in Conservation
6.1. Component 1: Expanded knowledge Based
Approach
The research component of Bagh focuses on establishing an expanded knowledge base for tiger
conservation in its habitat in the Sundarbans. This approach consists of designing, conducting and
implementing research work to ensure an effective and sustainable framework for tiger conservation and
habitat management. It also includes capacity building and training necessary to build effective and
committed human resources to work on the tiger as well as biodiversity conservation.
Activities
• Implement research-based management interventions.
• Conduct innovative focused research for science-based result-oriented tiger conservation and
habitat management.
• Create suitable structures for collaboration, learning, and inspiration.
• Assess and monitor the status of key biological targets like tiger, prey, disease and habitat to
evaluate the overall effectiveness of conservation interventions.
• Identify, prioritize, and monitor threats to inform action and to evaluate the overall effectiveness of
activities in threat reduction.
• Acquire a deep understanding of scale and nature of priority threats, e.g. poaching.
• Behavior mapping and social surveys to understand drivers behind threats and to design
interventions to change those behaviors.
• Quantify available natural resources to help the Forest Department (FD) to set limits on sustainable
extraction and predict effects of different management and livelihood strategies.
Objective
To improve management interventions for tiger conservation and habitat management through priority
research, participatory knowledge sharing and collaborative learning
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10. 6.2. Component 2: Combating Illegal Wildlife Crime
Approach
Under this component, Bagh aims to create a strong wildlife crime monitoring and law enforcement
platform in collaboration with relevant national and international agencies and to enhance the capacity of
the Forest Department (FD). Through our strategic partners, Bagh will leverage the learning from India’s
advanced anti-trafficking initiatives by WPSI and WWF, National Tiger Conservation Authority and Wildlife
Crime Control Bureau, and Nepal’s Wildlife Crime Control Committee and Bureau. Bagh will also access
global technical expertise namely the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC),
INTERPOL, UNODC, World Customs Organization, World Bank, US Government’s Department of Justice,
Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, US Fish and Wildlife Service,
and the USAID’s regional ARREST project. To enhance technical expertise, Bagh will coordinate with regional
wildlife enforcement networks such as ASEAN-WEN and SAWEN. Panthera has started working with this
component as cost share partner.
Activities
• Identify gaps in wildlife crime response and create realistic solutions: Bagh conducted a training needs
assessment (TNA) for the FD and its Wildlife Crime Control Unit (WCCU) through a systematic process.
Wildlife crime experts facilitated the process through analyzing the ICCWC Toolkit and its
recommendations. Some immediate, medium-term and long-term training needs for FD and WCCU staff
were recommended in the TNA.
• Strengthen frontline law enforcement at government level: One of the key objectives of this component
is to increase the capacity of FD staff in combating wildlife crime. As part of this effort, Bagh will organize
training for both frontline and mid-level FD staff based on the TNA recommendations.
• Strengthen frontline law enforcement at community level: Bagh facilitated existing community
patrolling/policing models like community patrol group (CPG) with VTRT and VCF members in Satkhira
range under CMC in consultation with FD and CREL Project. The strategy for CPG is being developed
currently. These teams will be provided with training and relevant logistics for community patrolling. They
will conduct ground patrolling on foot and motorized vehicle in the periphery of Satkhira range.
Objective
To build the capacity of Government and stakeholders to respond to all forms of wildlife crime through
engaging with regional and international bodies.
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11. 6.3. Component 3: Minimized Human Wildlife Conflict
Approach
An HTC monitoring system will be established in consultation with the FD to model and predict wildlife
conflict to mitigate and pre-empt damage. Bagh will be monitoring the wildlife-human conflict situations
as well as implementing management responses to effectively manage those incidents. Bagh will enhance
community capacity to deal with conflict situations to ensure the safety of both humans and wildlife. The
Village Tiger Response Teams (VTRTs) and Emergency Tiger Response Team (ETRT) will be further
strengthened by providing support in the form of capacity building and equipment. Necessary support will
be provided to FD for drafting and implementing conflict tiger management guidelines to inform and speed
up decision making during conflict situations.
Activities
• Reduce human-wildlife conflict outside the forests.
• Adopt sophisticated tools for conflict prediction.
• Equip communities to prevent and deal with the consequences of attacks.
• Develop best practices for Human-Wildlife Conflict response.
• Share WHC management best practices globally.
Objective
To prevent conflict, reduce fatalities and the number of new tiger widows, and to provide victim relief.
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12. 6.4. Component 4: Communication, Outreach and Gender Engagement
Approach
Bagh has been addressing human threats to tigers, wildlife, and the environment by focusing on behavioral
change through communications, outreach and gender engagement both at local and national level.
Activities
Drive positive behavioral change at the community level: The Component uses its knowledge of the
Sundarbans communities’ perceptions to create stimuli for positive behavioral change through social
marketing approach. Bagh communication aims to create a community protection belt to combat deer
poaching and consumption in the community.
Local and National Awareness Campaigns: Through its local and national campaigns, Bagh has been
engaging communities, the youth, civil society and a wide range of stakeholder groups to raise awareness
aimed at strengthening local and national efforts to safeguard the mangrove ecosystem, the habitat of
Bengal Tigers.
Build capacity for awareness —building public-private partnership (PPP): Bagh has been exploring potential
opportunities to create national and international partnerships to increase the marketing and
communication and support the expansion of local and national campaigns. The component establishes a
framework for partnership and collaboration for engaging a wide range of entities.
Strengthen gender and youth engagement: Bagh’s communication, outreach and partnership efforts follow
its gender approach throughout all the activities. Bagh will mainstream gender into its activities to gain
community acceptance and to instill value for and from both genders in their respective roles in community
resource management.
Objectives
To build awareness and drive sustainable behavior change among the target audience through a holistic
and integrated approach to conserve tigers in the Sundarbans.
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13. 6.5. Component 5: Improve Livelihoods for Conservation
Approach
Bagh aims to ensure sustainable economic development and thus to reduce the dependencies on the
resources of the Sundarbans. The component helps make the relationship between beneficiaries and sales
channels closer and accessible. The following approaches are taken for the implementation of alternative
income generating activities (AIGA) under Bagh:
• No philanthropy or subsidies
• High-quality and market driven products
• Private sector engagement
• Market linkage
Bagh Livelihoods options
High quality and market driven products (non-commodity based) are targeted, such as:
• Crafts
• Honey (Apiculture)
• Tourism products development
Beneficiaries
Bagh is working with selected beneficiaries based on their capability and skills from a beneficiary pool. The
beneficiaries were selected from the following target groups:
• Village Tiger Response Teams (VTRTs); (49 teams comprised of 344 members)
• Tiger victims (about 341 tiger widows)
• Resource collectors; (about 6,983 BLC holders from FD)
• Community Petrol Group (CPGs); 23 teams comprised 186 members
Objective
Reduce dependency on natural resources and encourage positive conservation actions in SRF through
alternative and supplementary incomes with eco-friendly livelihoods initiatives.
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14. 7. Learnings and Experience
It is really an incredible and a very nice journey with the WildTeam & USAID’s tiger project which gives me
lot of opportunity to learn so many things through office operation and field journey. I should have to point
out major learning opportunity here which I have learned and experienced during my internship period.
▪ I’ve carried out my major responsibility in component four which is communication and outreach
part. I don’t have any idea about how to make a newsletter for the subscribers of an organizations.
But I’ve learned to create the email newsletter through MailChimp tool.
▪ After joining to the project as an intern, I felt that Microsoft EXCEL is how much important in career.
Perhaps, nothing will be completed without EXCEL. From the general calculation to make a Gantt
chart, EXCEL is the most important and highest uses tool in an office. I’ve learned different tools
from EXCEL during my internship period.
▪ It was a good opportunity to learn the GPS system practically with an incredible arrangement of a
data dynamic google map through my office work. Our GPS specialist help me a lot to learn this.
▪ We are freshers not really know about how to write a concept note for an event, how to design a
day long program or how to write a checkpoint report, travel authorization, justification note,
thanks letter, project tracking report but it is a great pleasure for me to learn all of this sincerely.
▪ We know how to communicate through Facebook or Snapchat, but the Facebook or social media
like this is not actually adopted with the office environment. So, at first I have learned about mail
communication and the most interesting communication tools were Slack or Trello for the
integrated..communication..system.
▪ Journey to the Sundarbans for four days was the most exiting experience of my life. We’ve taken
more four hours long video footage from the Sundarbans to produce a research activity video
about the Bagh works and operation in research. I have learned how to take a shot to making a
video..on..the..environment.
▪ And Finally, I was just familiar with the word “Auction” and never know that how to arrange a
successful painting auction to raise the for the noble cause and to save the tiger. Me with my
supervisor and colleagues designed an auction program for the domestic and foreigner bidders
which was a mostly successful event placed in American Club, Dhaka.
▪ Meeting with Different public private organization and government organization was the
important part to enhance my network with different key persons and which will help in the future
to flourish my career options with potential aspirations.
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15. 8. Challenges and Recommendations
Short journey with the project was the biggest challenge for me. If I had the opportunity then for sure, I
would like to extend my internship period. Other challenges are:
▪ Complete any task within short time duration
▪ Step by step approval for any activities to get the final permission
▪ Some communication gap with another staffs.
▪ Transportation unavailability.
I really appreciate the time and opportunity given to us as students as far as internship training is concerned,
however there is a need to review in ways in which internship is handled and address some of above
mentioned challenges by both organization and university.
▪ Increase the enough verbal communication with the intern.
▪ Encourage them to work out of fear.
▪ For the potential output, talk to them about their interest and curiosity.
▪ Try to involve them with the all official communications.
I’ve enjoyed my entire operational period during my internship program which is great pleasure for me.
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16. 09. Conclusion
I believe that, I have been able to acquire the practical and hands-on skill throughout my internship program
at the USAID’s Tiger Activity. I don’t know about the tiger characteristics, the FTRT, VTRT or Tiger Team but
this opportunity gives me a vast experience to learn about the wildlife, conservation and most importantly
environment.
The Sundarbans, which means beautiful forest, is the beating green heart of Bangladesh. As wilderness areas
and biodiversity keeps shrinking worldwide, the Sundarbans still stands strong as the world’s largest
mangrove forest, a world heritage site, and most significantly as the home to the majestic Bengal tigers- a
symbol of pride for Bangladesh.
The wild tigers in Bangladesh Sundarbans are facing tremendous challenges for their existence. Though
tigers inhabited in almost all the greater districts of Bangladesh in the past, the wonderful creature is now
critically endangered; and in a sharply declining trail, just around a hundred tigers have hardly survived only
in the Sundarbans. If we cannot still conserve the last population of tigers, the Sundarbans and its
biodiversity will be at risk of extinction and one sixty million people of Bangladesh will have nothing left to
feel proud of being a ‘nation of the tiger'. To be optimistic- the last chance is not yet over. Conserving the
Sundarbans and its biodiversity by protecting the tigers with the united efforts of the government, business
sector, other stakeholders and the general mass; has now become the demand of the time.
Back to my past 4 years, I was a student of Environmental Science and Management at the Independent
University, Bangladesh. I have learned different terms and theories through my honorable teachers. Passion
has grown into my mind about the environment and wildlife but this internship reinforced my passions.
Turn my passion to gain the ability. I’m really blessed with all of my works with the magical Sundarbans,
majestic tigers and the environment which I have done properly during my internship program.
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