Project launched to safeguard biodiversity degraded ecosystem in critical wetlands

 A new initiative was launched today at a workshop in Dhaka to protect biodiversity and promote sustainable, community-led management of Bangladesh's Ecologically Critical Areas (ECAs).

The five-year project, titled "Implementing Ecosystem-based Management in Ecologically Critical Areas in Bangladesh (EbM-ECA Project)," is a collaborative effort led by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), implemented through the Department of Environment (DoE), with support from UNDP and funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

"This initiative goes beyond biodiversity conservation. It brings together science, indigenous knowledge, and community leadership to restore vital ecosystems while supporting livelihoods of resource users," said Sonali Dayaratne, Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP Bangladesh. "Ensuring multi-stakeholders' coordination and environmental governance is key to successful delivery of the project-she added."

With a total financing of $13.5 million, this project will pilot community co-management, innovative ecosystem-based restoration practices, and community-led governance models in the Halda River (Chattogram) and Morjat Baor (Jhenaidah), both biodiversity-rich wetlands facing pressure from pollution, overuse of natural resources, and climate change.

Dr Farhina Ahmed, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, attended the event as Chief Guest, emphasised the importance of innovation in natural resource management, stating, "If we can develop a co-management model for natural resource management and biodiversity conservation grounded in an ecosystem-based approach, it can serve as a replicable model both nationally and internationally." She also expressed sincere appreciation for the generous support the Global Environment Facility (GEF) provided and reaffirmed a strong commitment to ensuring value for money in all related initiatives.

Mr Khairul Hasan, Additional Secretary (Development Wing), MoEFCC, joined as Special Guest, "Effective ECA management calls for innovation, cooperation, and participation from all stakeholders. This is a step in that direction."

Dr  Kamruzzaman, ndc, Director General of the Department of Environment, chaired the workshop. "While implementing this project, we must ensure that people dependent on their livelihoods in these places are not affected by project interventions".

The project's core components include designing and implementing a financially viable, ecosystem-based co-management system, effective pollution control and water quality monitoring, biodiversity conservation, alternative livelihoods for vulnerable communities, and capacity building of resource users, government institutions and local stakeholders. Lessons from these pilots are expected to guide replication in other ECAs nationwide. The initiative aligns with Bangladesh's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) and supports the Global Biodiversity Framework. It is expected to benefit over 11,000 hectares of wetlands and directly support communities surrounding the Halda River and Morjat Baor ECAs.

The inception workshop included more than 100 participants, including senior officials from Moefcc, Doe, UNDP, technical agencies, civil society, academia, and development partners. Discussions focused on creating scalable community-based conservation models and strengthening institutional mechanisms to safeguard Bangladesh's rich ecological heritage.