Conserving and Restoring the Benefits from Bangladesh Wetlands

Abstract

"Wetlands in Bangladesh, just as elsewhere, were long regarded as worthless wastelands to be converted to agriculture. This study combines a detailed valuation of uses of Hail Haor, a complex heavily exploited 14,000 ha wetland commons in Bangladesh, with assessment of the benefits from conserving and restoring it. Values were estimated from mapping of land uses, surveys and detailed monitoring of all main uses. This revealed that the annual value of wetland products in 2000 was about US$650 per hectare, roughly double the net return from the alternative single rice crop. The main benefits were from fish and aquatic plants that are collected by and provide income or food for the poor. The annual return from the haor at that time was estimated to be just under US$ 8 million. Restoration of fish catches alone raised this by 36% by the year 2005-06. Since 1999 the MACH project has demonstrated that community based organizations linked up through co-management arrangements with local government could restore wetland productivity and biodiversity by setting limits on fishing, creating wetland sanctuaries, and restoring habitat by excavating deeper areas as fish refuges and planting swamp and riparian trees. In this same area eight community based organizations have taken initiatives that resulted by 2006 in fish catches almost doubling and a 45% increase in fish consumption of farmers and landless. One larger 100 ha sanctuary was established under community management, this serves to conserve fish stocks in the whole wetland system, and populations of wintering waterfowl returned after an absence of some 20 years, creating a community managed conservation area and eco-tourism attraction, the first in Bangladesh."