This slide gives you some information about Wetlands management in Bangladesh; status and strategies for wetland management in Bangladesh

1. STATUS AND STRATEGIES FOR
WETLAND MANAGMENT IN
BANGLADESH
GROUP NO: 03
STUDENT ID: 120546, 110505, 110507, 110514, 110523,110524,110544

2. Wetlands
“Areas of marsh, fen, peat land or water, whether natural or artificial,
permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh,
brackish or salt, including areas marine water the depth of which at
low tides does not exceed six meters”
More than two thirds of the country's landmass may be classified as
wetlands according to this definition given by Ramsar Convention
(IUCN,2005)

3. Wetlands of Bangladesh
 The total area of wetland in Bangladesh
has been estimated to be 7-8 million
hectares which is nearly 50% of the
countries landmass.
 But Chowdhury et al (1996) showed
that, total wetland of Bangladesh cover
about 11% of the total area which is
16,000 square km.

4. Classification of wetlands in Bangladesh
Saltwater Wetlands Freshwater Wetlands Manmade Wetlands
Area Covered by Different Wetlands in Bangladesh
Open waters Area ( in ha)
Rivers 479,735
Estuaries and mangrove swamps 51,828
Beels and haors 114,161
Floodplains 5,486,609
Kaptai lake 68,800
Closed water
Ponds 1,46,890
Baors ( oxbow lakes) 5,488
Brackish water farms 108,000

5. Importance of wetlands in Bangladesh
Wetland Beneficiary
villages
Beneficiary
population
Pagnar and Sanuar Dakuar
Haor
42 28000
Hakaluki haor 30 35000
Padma-Jamuna Floodplain 43 35000
Madhumati Floodplain 31 30500
Brahmaputra Shitalakshya
Floodplain
21 23000

6. Ecological Importance
• Wetlands act as water purifier as it traps and filters the water that moves through it.
• Slows down surface runoff.
• Reduce flooding and siltation of rivers.
• Reduce the action of toxic chemicals by neutralizing them.
• Help replenish underground water reservoirs.
• Habitat for plants and animals, migratory and resident water fowls & the significant
endangered species.
Economic importance:
 Firewood,
 Thatching material
 Medicinal plants
 Livestock fodder
 Food source for humans and so on.

7. CROP CULTIVATION
Rice, jute, wheat, potato, cucumber,
watermelon, tobacco etc.

8. WETLAND FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE
 94% open water, 6% closed water
Types No. of species
Fish species 226
Water fowl species 125
Amphibian species 6
Reptile species 48
Total bird species 174
Aquatic mammals 12

9. ECOLOGICALLY CRITICAL AREAS OF
BANGLADESH
Sl.No. Name of Wetland District
1.
Strip of 10 km. outside the
Sundarbans Reserved Forest
Khulna, Bagerhat,
Satkhira
2.
Sea Front of Cox’s bazar and
Teknaf
Cox’s Bazar
3. St martin’s Island Cox’s Bazar
4. Sonadia Island Cox’s Bazar
5. Hakaluki Haor Moulvibazar
6. Tanguar Haor Sunamganj
7. Marjat Baor Jhenaidaha
8. Gulshan Lake Dhaka city

10. CAUSES OF DEGRADATION
 Biological alteration
 Chemical alteration
 Physical Destruction
and degradation
 Overharvesting of trees
 Chemical use
 Illegal hunting of wild life
 Alien animals
 Population expansion
 Mismanagement of wildlife

11. STRATEGIES FOR WETLAND
MANAGEMENT IN BANGLADESH
Government Institutes (Departments)
 Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB)
 Department of Environment
 Department of Fisheries etc.
NGOs
 Center for Natural Resource Studies CBOs
 Bangladesh POUSH
 Bangladesh Center for Advanced Studies
 BRAC
 NACOM
 CFSD
 IUCN
 Practical Action

12. INITIATIVES TAKEN BY GOVT. OF BANGLADESH
 Set up Ministry of Environment and Forest (1989)
 Formation of National Conservation Strategy
 National Environment Policy (1992)
 Became signatory of Ramsar Convention (1992)
 National Environment Management Action Plan (1995)
 Environmental protection act (1995)
 Sustainable environment management program (1996)
National Water Policy
 Maintaining the aquatic environment and facilitating drainage.
 Water extraction will not hampered other aquatic characteristics.
 Taken up integrated management for fish production and
recreational value and natural water bodies will be developed.

13. 1. Community Based Haor & Floodplain Resource
Management (CBHFRM)
Awareness
Campaign
Community Based
Organizations
Skill Development
Renewable
Energy Options
Promotion of
Ecotourism
Community Groups
Conservation of
threatened wildlife
Empowerment
Environment
Fund

14. 2. MACH (Management of Aquatic Ecosystems
through Community Husbandry)
A Project of Government of Bangladesh
supported by USAID
 Building Community Resource Management
Institutions
 Empowering and enabling the poor
 Participation of women
 Best practices to ensure good governance
 Sustainability

15. 3. Community Based Fisheries Management
(CBFM)
Prime objectives of CBFM
 To ease the growing fishing pressure and stop
fishing during the breeding season, usually for a
three-month period – April to June each year.
 To establish fish sanctuaries where no fishing is
allowed
 Sanctuaries are demarcated with red flags,
accompanied by a signboard declaring that fishing
is completely banned in the sanctuary.
 164 fish sanctuaries covering over 90 hectares of
water area have been established in 81 water
bodies.

16. 4. Costal and wetland Biodiversity Management
Project (CWBMP)
 Has been implanted since 2006 In the Ecological
Critical Areas, viz., Sonadia Island, St. Martin’s
Island and Teknaf Peninsula and in Hakaluki
Haor.
 Object of the project is sustainable management
of natural resource through community groups.
 Ecologically Critical Areas (ECAs) were declared
under the 1995 Environmental Conservation Act
(1995).

17. 5. Participatory Action Plan
Development
Consensus of
Solutions
End product of
PAPD is a
consensual
community action
plan
Analysis of
Solutions
Problem Cluster
and Prioritization
Problem Census
After a PAPD,
communities develop
a more detailed action
plan, which will be
implemented through
existing or newly
formed local
community
institutions.

18. The ECA notification identifies the following
activities as prohibited
 Felling or extracting of trees and forest
 Hunting and poaching of wild animals
 Catching or collection of snail, coral, turtle and other wild
animals
 Establishment of industries that may pollute soil, water, air
and/or create noise pollution
 Any activity that is likely to threaten the habitat of flora
and fauna
 Any activity that is likely to cause harm to fish and other
aquatic life

19. Recommendations
 Prohibit wetland conversion by law
 Restore and rehabilitate the degraded wetlands
 Bring all significant wetlands under sustainable
management program
 Limit hunting & fishing to such an extent that
breeding & spawning of various species is not
hindered
 Carry out Environmental Impact Assessment before
initiating any engineering project

20. THANK YOUf o r y o u r k i n d a t t e n t i o n