Forest governance implementation challenges in protected areas of Southeast Bangladesh

Protected areas are central to global biodiversity conservation strategies, yet their effectiveness is often shaped more by governance conditions than by ecological design. This study examines governance dynamics in Inani National Park (INP), a newly gazetted protected area in southeastern Bangladesh. Drawing on 43 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from government agencies, law enforcement authorities, local administrations, community-based organisations—including local elites and resource users—and national and international non-governmental organisations, we assess perceived management challenges, coordination gaps, and pathways for improvement. Findings indicate that inadequate logistical support and staffing capacity within the Bangladesh Forest Department represent the most critical constraints (54.6%), followed by broader governance inefficiencies (27.3%) and weak inter-agency coordination (18.2%). Stakeholder recommendations focused on strengthening institutional capacity (63.6%), enhancing law enforcement effectiveness (29.6%), and expanding alternative livelihood opportunities to reduce pressure on forest resources (22.7%). Lessons derived from stakeholder experience underscore the importance of co-management arrangements, meaningful community participation, and local government engagement, alongside recognition of biodiversity conservation as a shared global responsibility. By situating these findings within international debates on the conservation “implementation gap,” this study demonstrates how institutional capacity, participatory governance mechanisms, and cross-sectoral collaboration interact to shape conservation outcomes in newly designated protected areas. The INP case advances global scholarship on protected area governance and offers practical insights for aligning national conservation commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Sustainable Development Goals with site-level realities in the Global South.