peoples were already practicing their own system of communal stewardship over the land and its resources. Thus it is vital for the survival of the IPs, as well as the survival of their cultural systems, to secure their rights over the land that they have been nurturing for generations. Status of IP land and resource rights Bangladesh’s population was estimated at 150 million as of 2011 (BBS, 2011). The numbers vary, however, when it comes to the population and groupings of indigenous peoples. Government figures say that there are 1.59 million IPs in Bangladesh belonging to 27 ethnic groups (BBS, 2011). The Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Forum, however, claims that there are as many as 45 ethnic groups in Bangladesh with a total population of three million. The greatest concentration of indigenous peoples is found in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) southeast of Bangladesh. Recognized CHT indigenous communities include the Bawn, Chak, Chakma, Khyang, Khumi, Lushai, Marma, Mro and Tripura. There are IPs living in other parts of Bangladesh. However, those living in the area covered by the CHT enjoy more rights on land and natural resources compared to the groups living outside the CHT due to their special legal and political status. The CHT was designated as a separate district in the 1860s to allow jhum or shifting cultivation, and the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regulation Act of 1900 restricted non-members of the hill people from entering the region, providing the indigenous peoples there some form of administrative control over the land. This special status was abruptly abolished, however, following the turmoil with Pakistan that led to the settlement of Bengali people from the plain land in the hill district, thus trampling on the rights of the IPs over their land and natural resources. Conflict quickly ensued, and it only ended in 1997 with the signing of the Chittagong Hill Tract Peace Accord. A Land Dispute Resolution Commission was established to settle ownership disputes but, unfortunately, none have been resolved so far. While the situation in the CHT is not ideal, those living in the plains are worse off as they are not accorded rights over land and natural resources. They have been facing marginalization, exclusion and deprivation since the British colonial period. Their relationship with the land was neither recognized nor addressed during colonial rule, although there is a provision in the East Pakistan State Tenancy Act of 1950 that concerns the land transfer system in the plains. As for the representation of indigenous peoples in traditional institutions and local governance systems, the numbers vary because of the different levels of empowerment, literacy and size. The Chakma1 and Marma2 from the CHT understandably lead in local governments and traditional institutions because of their special status (see Figure 1, next page). The IPs in the plains also have their traditional institutions that deal with the management of their land. However, their participation in local Chakmas are the largest ethnic group in Bangladesh concentrated in the central and northern parts of CHT (Bangladesh News, 2008). 2 The Marmas are the second largest ethnic group in Bangladesh (Bangladesh News, 2008). 1 Lok Niti 15