First report on the soil seed bank damage due to fire at the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh
Mohammad Golam Kibria, Md. Hosenuzzaman, Md. Shamsuzzoha, Md. Anwarul AbedinAbstract
Background
The composition, density, and damage of the soil seed bank were studied at Kutupalong Rohingya refugee camp (the world's largest refugee settlement), Ukhiya, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, after a major human‐induced fire on March 22, 2021, causing huge damage to human lives, settlements, and the ecosystem. Soil samples were collected from different burned spots of three camps and adjacent unburned patches at 0–15 cm depth following a grid sampling approach, resulting in a total of 173 soil samples. Seed bank composition, density, germination, frequency, and diversity indices were analyzed using sieving and seedling emergence methods.
Results
The soil seed bank of both burned and unburned areas comprised mostly weed species (5) and very few crop species (3), but, surprisingly, no tree species. Moreover, the functional composition of the soil seed bank did not differ significantly between burned and unburned sites (moderate similarity index). The massive blaze severely affected the frequency (<40% of spots having seeds) and density (>80% of seeds damaged) of seeds in the soil. The floristic composition of burned and unburned areas, however, did not differ significantly. Vegetation in the affected area would naturally re‐establish slowly through the germination of surviving seeds and the resprouting of underground plant parts, along with the contribution of seed rain from neighboring unburned vegetation patches.
Conclusion
Human disturbances, however, remain the main threat to the post‐fire natural vegetation recovery process of the study area. Hence, an appropriate management strategy, including regular monitoring of the recovery process, soil stabilization, reseeding grasses, and planting native tree species, should be planned and implemented immediately, ensuring active participation of all relevant stakeholders for quick recovery of the fire‐affected refugee camps.