Rights, Benefits and Social Justice: Keeping Common Property Freshwater Wetland Ecosystems of Bangladesh Common

Abstract

"Seasonally flooded wetlands under fallow are one of the very few remaining common property natural resources in Bangladesh. Traditionally, these wetlands have been accessible to surrounding communities especially the poor and landless who derive benefits from their use. In recent years, extension and application of new aquaculture technologies in common property wetlands, formerly considered of little or no value, have increased their productive potential and consequently, have caused their value to rise. As a result of increasing private investment and transformation of wetlands to more economically profitable land uses, the poor and the landless are denied of access to these resources and deprived of their benefits. This is contribution to a widening gap between the better-off and the worse-off in rural communities. Moreover, competition for the resource may spawn violence and abuse of human rights. Therefore, some drastic measures on the use of wetlands should be undertaken by the government to protect the rights of the poor and disadvantaged members of the community. It will also need newer institutional arrangements and management mechanism that could increase wetland productivity and yet allow communities to retain access and management responsibility."