*5.2.3 Expansion of agricultural activities*

Several crops are extensively cultivated on the hill slopes and in the low-lying areas in and around the forestland in Bangladesh. Pineapple, banana (*Musa* spp.), citrus, bean (*Vigna* spp.), and papaya (*Carica papaya*) are mainly cultivated on the hilltop. Paddy (*Oryza* spp.) is cultivated in the low land between two hills [4]. For making the land cultivable, local people usually clean the forest floor, burn the unwanted vegetation, and cultivate the desired crops, resulting in destruction of natural vegetation. Local farmers slowly expand their cultivation land each year, which causes rapid fragmentation of the forestland. Expansion of agricultural land is one of the major problems of deforestation in Bangladesh except the Sundarbans mangrove forest [5].
