(Not to be cited)

Version: 17 March 2004

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS

NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN

IUCN The World Conservation Union

Bangladesh Country Office

List of Acronyms and Abbreviations

AIS: Alien Invasive Species

BAPT: Bangladesh Association of Plant Taxonomists

BARI: Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute

BAU: Bangladesh Agriculture University

BCSIR: Bangladesh Council for Scientific and Industrial Research

BELA: Bangladesh Environmental Lawyer’s Association

BFRI: Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute

BFRI: Bangladesh Forest Research Institute

BINA: Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agricultute

BJRI: Bangladesh Jute Research Institute

BLRI: Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute

BNH: Bangladesh National Herbarium

BOGMC: Bangladesh Oil Gas and Mining Corporation

BPC: Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation

BRGB: Biodiversity Research Group of Bangladesh

BRRI: Bangladesh Rice Research Institute

BWDB: Bangladesh Water Development Board

CBD: Convention on Biological Diversity

CBO: Community Based Organization

CCD: Convention to Combat Desetification

CEGIS: Center for Environment and Geographic Information System

CHT: Chittagong Hill Tracts

CHTDB: Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board

CITES: Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna

COP: Conference of Parties

DAE: Department of Agricultural Extension

DLS: Department of Livestock Services

DoE: Department of Environment

DoF: Department of Fisheries

ECC: Environmental Clearance Certificate

EIA: Environmental Impact Assessment

FAO: Food and Agriculture Organization

FD: Forest Department

GATT: General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade

GEF: Global Environment Facility

GIS: Geographic Information System

GMO: Genetically Modified Organisms

ICTP: International Conventions Treaties and Protocols

IMED: Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division

IPM: Integrated Pest Management

IRRI: International Rice Research Institute

IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (World Conservation Union)

LCO: Local Community Organization

LGRD: Local Government Rural Development

LMO: Living Modified Organism

MoA: Ministry of Agriculture

MoC: Ministry of Commerce

MoCA: Ministry of Cultural Affairs

MoE: Ministry of Education

MoE: Ministry of Establishment

MoEF: Ministry of Environment and Forests

MoFL: Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock

MoI: Ministry of Industries

MoL: Ministry of Land

MoLJPA: Ministry of Law Justice and Parliamentary Affairs

MoR: Ministry of Religion

MoSICT: Ministry of Science, Information and Communication Technology

MoWCA: Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs

MoWR: Ministry of Water Resources

NAMIC: National Arsenic Mitigation Information Center

NBSAP: National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

NCPGR: National Committee on Plant Genetic Resources

NGO: Non-Governmental Organization

NM: National Museum

NTFP: Non Timber Forest Product

PC: Planning Commission

SRDI: Soil Research and Development Institute

UNFCCC: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

WARPO: Water Resource Planning Organization

WPA: Wildlife Protection Act

THE STRATEGY

1. INTRODUCTION

During October 2002 to March 2004, the Government of Bangladesh with the support of UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and GEF (Global Environmental Facility) undertook the task of developing a National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) for Bangladesh. This process was jointly implemented by Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) and the Bangladesh Country Office of IUCN (The World Conservation Union).

The process went through a highly participatory process that included workshops at regional and country levels, expert consultations, etc. This extensive consultative process generated a wealth of inputs that were thoroughly organized in four Reports done by recognized experts in the pertinent fields. Finally, all inputs were condensed in three summarizing pieces:

1. Biodiversity Policy Recommendation

2. National Biodiversity Strategy

3. Biodiversity Action Plan

These three final products are aimed to spark and orient decision-making and immediate actions. Therefore they are short and highly summarized papers that can be taken separately to address different audiences. They are presented together in this document as an overview of the final products of this rich process.

2. STRUCTURE OF THE DOCUMENT

The NBSAP process is recorded in more than a thousand pages of proceedings, minutes and reports. All of them are included as resource or reference materials in the CD that accompany this document.

Therefore, and in pursue of better readability and use, this document basically summarizes the results of the entire process and presents the major conclusions. To help the reader interested in going into deeper levels of detail, a number of references to the papers and documents included in the CD are made.

It is expected that this structure provide the necessary flexibility required to fulfill the needs of those readers searching for key issues and recommendations, as well as those interested in detailed analysis of particular issues.

As outlined in the Table of Contents, this document is structured according to the following sequence:

· Situation analysis

· NBSAP process

· Key emerging issues

· Biodiversity Policy Recommendation

· Strategies

· Linking to sustainable development

· Implementation mechanisms

· Funding mechanisms

· Monitoring and reporting

· Action Plan

3. SITUATION ANALYSIS

Bangladesh is a relatively small country spread over an area of 147,570km². It is surrounded in the north and east by the hilly regions of northeast India (Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram; Indian states that are part of the eastern Himalayan biodiversity hot-spot)) and western Myanmar (extreme west of the Chin Hills of the Myanmar Arc, a region identified for its centers of plant diversity; WWF and IUCN 1994-1995). In the west, it merges with the low-lying Gangetic Plains of India (West Bengal) and in the south it is limited by the Bay of Bengal.Despite its small size and the rather square-like shape, it supports a diverse set of ecosystems. The natural ecosystems of the country range from sandy beaches to mangroves, flood plains, lowland forests, terraces and hills reaching far north into the eastern Himalayas – one of 25 biodiversity hot-spots globally identified. Over 80% of the country is low-lying and hence waterlogged or flooded at least part of the year. Much of the land area does not generally exceed 40m ASL, making the country’s landscape the single largest flood-basin in South Asia. The 20% of Bangladesh that does not qualify as flood plains is elevated. Of this 8% is in the form of terraces and 12% hilly. Hills in Bangladesh are along the north and east periphery. The highest peak Moudak Mual reaches 1004m ASL. The entire country is biogeographically a transition between the Indo-Gangetic plains and the eastern Himalayas and in turn part of the Indo-Chinese sub-region of the Oriental realm. The rather simple geo-morphology of the country nevertheless offers 23 distinct physiographical zones that vary in topography (0-1000m ASL), temperature (9-37^oC) and rainfall (1270-5840mm).

The major ecosystems of Bangladesh include the beach and open sea, coral reefs, offshore islands, mangrove, estuarine and freshwater flood plains, haor and bil, natural lakes, riparian and forests. A number of man-made ecosystems including the Kaptai reservoir, tanks, ponds, urban and agro-ecosystems also characterize the country. The agro-ecosystems are vital to human livelihoods and economy as they contribute 17% of the GDP. Forests (including the mangroves) provide 90 million man-days of job opportunities annually and contribute 7% to the GDP. The different aquatic ecosystems together provide for 11% of the country’s export revenue through fisheries, offer jobs to 5% of the work force and contribute 3.3% to the GDP.

The importance of biodiversity to the economy of Bangladesh is quite evident and irreplaceable. Unfortunately, due to pressures of development, lack of information and awareness, lack of institutional capacity and gaps in policy and legislation, during the past, vast portions of the major ecosystems have been lost or degraded. Many species have been lost during the last 100 years. These include a large number of mammals such the rhinoceros, gaur, banteng, swamp deer, wolf, nilgai and birds like the peafowl, pink-headed duck and at least one reptile, the marsh crocodile.

Around a 100 of the 6000 species of plants known from the country are listed as threatened. Many others, especially medicinal plants, are facing great pressure due to loss of habitat and over harvest. Around 220 species of vertebrate animals including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals have been listed in the Red Data Books of Bangladesh as they are faced with the threat of extinction. An analysis of the past and present trends in animal extinctions and population decline has suggested that species that are dependent on the aquatic ecosystems are more vulnerable. On the contrary, amongst plants, the most threatened, rare and endemic species are those that are found in the terrestrial forest ecosystem.

Less than 50% of the 26 localities that have been brought under the different systems of Protected Areas in Bangladesh are representative of the terrestrial forest ecosystem. These Protected Areas vary in size from 0.5 to 420km². Considering the nearly 300 wild elephants in the country that are largely confined to the Chittagong district, the existing Protected Areas are not adequate to manage these large mammals in the long-term. There is scope for bringing more hill forests under the system of Protected Areas. Considering the biodiversity wealth, the unique topography and the rich human culture in the Chittagong Hill Tract, it has been proposed that a Biosphere Reserve be set up here.

The fishery sector can be sustained only if the major aquatic ecosystems are sustainably managed. The most important freshwater ecosystems are the haor, bil and baor. Unfortunately however, these have not been adequately protected. The nearly 200km² of this ecosystem that has been declared as ‘Ecologically Critical Areas’ need stricter management. The Tanguar haor that has been declared as a Ramsar Site needs a sound management plan if it has to be sustainably utilized.

The Sundarbans, a World Heritage Site, is a globally recognized mangrove ecosystem. The estimated population of 362 tigers in the country is more or less exclusive to the Sundarbans mangroves. The mangrove ecosystem of Bangladesh has singly contributed to over 36 million man-days of job opportunities a year. Over and above these thousands of people who live in and around the ecosystem subsist on its biological resources. The mangroves along with the coral reef ecosystem in the St Martin’s Island contribute the most to the coastal biodiversity of the country.

Human culture and traditions in Bangladesh are very rich. The hilly areas are the home of many ethnic communities that traditionally conserved biodiversity. Hundreds of species of plants have been identified and nurtured by these human communities in their cultivated areas, home gardens and sacred forests. These plants include tubers, fruits, vegetables, greens, fodder and medicines. Traditional systems of agriculture and the associated biodiversity are rapidly eroding due to the large-scale introduction of cash crops and plantations, high yielding varieties of crops and lack of incentives.

The deteriorating trends in knowledge and conservation of traditional crops and domesticated livestock are not unique to the hills but are seen throughout the country. Indiscriminate use of fertilizers and pesticides, crossing of exotic livestock with indigenous breeds, introduction of alien and invasive species (AIS), especially fish have all contributed to erosion of the country’s conservation traditions. It is important that conservation traditions including sacred forests, sacred species of plants and animals like the Bostami turtle and the Khan Jahan Aki Shrine crocodiles and other cultural traits that have been responsible for the conservation of biodiversity be identified and revived through appropriate systems of rewarding. It is also important that long-lasting partnerships be built between the local people and the managers of biodiversity such that the entire spectrum of the country’s biological wealth is conserved and sustainably used.

Major gaps in institutional capacity have emerged in the process of outlining the NBSAP. There is lack of taxonomic capacity for many lower plants, animals and microorganisms. There are few institutions that are dedicated to the survey and monitoring of biodiversity. There are not many accessible databases to provide information on the status of species and ecosystems. There is lack of awareness amongst children, the general public and the local communities on the importance and scope of biodiversity conservation. At the institutional level, the media needs more sensitization on biodiversity as much as the political and religious leaders, courts of law and policy makers. And also there is no apex Institute to implement and monitor the biodiversity conservation and management activities.

Additionally, there are a number of laws, rules, policies and their amendments in place in Bangladesh for dealing with biodiversity. However, these are not adequate to deal with emerging issues such as climate change, genetically modified organisms (GMO), bio-safety, bio-prospecting and intellectual property rights (IPR), and international cooperation or even existing issues like waste management, alternative livelihoods, wetland, marime areas and agrobiodiversity. It has been recommended that a new ‘parent law’ dealing with the entire spectrum of biodiversity, including the domesticated, should be developed after a careful review of the existing national and international laws, policies and obligations. Integration of biodiversity, community conservation practices and agrobiodiversity into relevant existing laws and policies, plugging of existing loopholes and strenthenging the implementation and enforcement mechanism like ECA, protected areas, EIA and environment court could be other strategies for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

Bangladesh has also received global attention due to its civil society organizations, large NGOs working on issues of sustainable development. However, environment and biodiversity are not on the top of the agendas for many of these organizations. Realizing the role biodiversity plays in sustainable development, it is important to mainstream issues of biodiversity conservation into sustainable development.

4. THE NBSAP PROCESS

The NBSAP is a national document owned by the people. To ensure the ownership, the NBSAP development process presents a challenge in the process of planning and defining roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders. Local communities and resource managers, private and public sector representatives from different walks of life have to participate pro - actively. The NBSAP development has been a participatory process universally; it involves multi-stakeholder participation.

The first step in this endeavor was obviously the formulation of methodology and implementation approach. This was accomplished through the Inception Workshop held on 29 December 2002. Through organizing discussions and culling the experiences of NBSAP development in other neighbouring countries, a participatory planning process was adopted for preparing the NBSAP of Bangladesh. The participants at the Inception Workshop suggested the adoption of a combined approach of both ‘bottom up’ and ‘top-down’ planning processes.

In the line of bottom up approach, the participants endorsed holding of six Regional Workshops in the country’s six administrative Divisions. To this end, six Regional Workshops were held at six divisions as shown in the following table. The workshops involved stakeholders from most of the walks of life, starting from the grassroots to the policy makers, along with the implementation agencies. The participants were people of all walks of life comprising of people’s representatives (Union Parishad Chainmen, Members), primary school to university teachers, social leaders, lawyers, civil administration, development workers, different implementing agencies, researchers, and representatives of ethnic communities, physicians, and media people. In selecting the participants gender balance was a key element. To ensure the government’s commitment each of the regional workshops was evident as they were attended either by a Minister, State Minister or the local Municipal Corporation Mayor.

List of Regional Workshops held:

No.	Division	Held in	Date
1	Chittagong	Chittagong	18 May 2003
2	Khulna	Khulna	11 June 2003
3	Barisal	Jhalokathi	25 June 2003
4	Dhaka	Tangail	23 July 2003
5	Rajshahi	Thakurgaon	02 August 2003
6	Sylhet	Moulvibazaar	14 August 2003

Following a top down approach, five thematic groups have been formed centered around the following areas:

· Species Conservation;

· Ecosystem Management;

· Legal, Regulatory and policy issues;

· Education, Training, Awareness Raising; and

· Linkages and Institutional issues.

Each Thematic Group has again been divided into sub groups. The participants also identified the major issues to be addressed during thematic consultation meeting. Seventeen Thematic Consultation Meetings were held with active participation of the professionals from teaching, research and stakeholders from other planning and implementing agencies. List of Thematic Consultation Meetings is shown in the following Table:

List of Thematic Consultation Meetings held

Sl. No.	Theme	Date
1	Mining and Biodiversity	27 April 2003
2	Health and Biodiversity in Bangladesh	29 April 2003
3	Legal, Regulatory and Policy Issues	05 May 2003
4	Hill Ecosystem of Bangladesh	19 May 2003
5	Culture and Community Diversity	08 July 2003
6	Microbial Diversity	09 July 2003
7	Wild and Cultivated Plant Species Conservation	10 July 2003
8	Ex Situ & In Situ Conservation of Flora and Fauna in Bangladesh	29 July 2003
9	Wild, Domesticated and Alien Animal Species and Their Conservation	27 August 2003
10	Terrestrial Ecosystem and Biodiversity Conservation in Bangladesh	31 August 2003
11	Eco-tourism and Biodiversity Conservation in Bangladesh	08 September 2003
12	Gender, Advocacy, Media and Awareness Raising	29 October 2003
13	Education, Training and Capacity Building	03 November 2004
14	Aquatic and Coastal Ecosystem	12 November 20023
15	Media and Awareness Raising	17 December 2003
16	Genetically Modified Organisms	15 January 2004
17	Cross sectoral issues	24 January 2004

Through these consultation meetings and workshops about 2,000 experts and stakeholders have been consulted. The participants attended these workshops and consultation meetings made qualified efforts to assess the current situation of biodiversity formulate strategies, identified actions and offered suggestions concerning biodiversity conservation.

Other than these the project also held Focus Group meetings with different biodiversity user groups in Tanguar Haor, Moheshkhali, Sunderbans and Sylhet areas. Sensitization meetings were held with the journalists and officials related with planning and implementation of development concerning crosscutting issues of biodiversity. As a cross-sectional intervention the NBSAP development process and findings were also presented in the Inception Workshop on Farm Animal Genetic Resources at Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute, Savar, Dhaka on 14 December 2003, and with Fourth Fisheries Development project at Department of Fisheries on 22 January 2004.

During the planning process experience sharing meetings were held with participants from India, Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka during the 3^rd Regional Session of Global Biodiversity Forum – South Asia held in Dhaka during 16 – 18 June 2003, and on 17 August 2003 during the Third SAARC People’s Forum meeting held during 15 – 17 August at Bishnupur, Tangail.

For mass familiarization and publicity about the project and planning process a website was launched for the project at (www. iucnbd.org/nbsap). Announcements seeking views and comments from the people were published in three national dailies: The Ittefaq, The Prothon Alo and The Daily Star.

The findings from the regional workshops and consultation meetings were presented in the First National Workshop held on 04 October 2003. The findings were also presented in Local Consultative Group meeting on November 05, 2003. Having the feedback from the First National Workshop, thematic consultation meetings, focus group meetings, and other experience sharing meetings, views from the people and based on five consultants’ reports the draft NBSAP was formulated.

The Project Management Team and the inter-ministerial Project Steering Committee met periodically and monitored the participation of stakeholders at different levels.

5. KEY ISSUES ON BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

It is evident from the situation analysis that there exist a number of issues related with biodiversity and its conservation and management. Different consultation meetings and workshops at regional and national levels have identified a number of issues concerned with biodiversity conservation. The issues that have been identified range basic such as lack of complete list of resources, lack of adequate tools for knowing the species to that in laws, policies and effective implementation of the same. The conservation of natural resources of the country is the responsibility of many government bodies and the communities, those who are using it. Thus most of the issues related with biodiversity conservation and management are cross-sectoral. As these are interlinked t they are to be addressed holistically in biodiversity conservation planning.

The major issues identified during the NBSAP development process are as follows:

· Lack of total species inventory: The first step in appreciating biodiversity is to know it. There is a considerable amount of information on the species of higher plants and animals in the country. A fair amount of information exists on biodiversity at the level of ecosystems also. Major gaps exist in the available information on lower plants, fungi, microorganisms, invertebrates, and marine biological resources.

· Inadequate knowledge on ecosystem structure and function: Lack of knowledge has posed major gaps at various levels. It is not only at the level of species identification that information is lacking, but there are inadequacies in the knowledge of life histories, population structure and status of species and communities, habitats and ecosystems that they belong to, their ecological services and value. Species and ecosystems that carry a lot of value (market value) are highly exploited. Information on the rates of depletion of biodiversity is most vital to conservation and sustainable use.

· Habitat degradation: One of the most warranted issues is degradation of habitats in all ecosystems and landscapes of the country. Transformation of land use patterns, expansion of agricultural lands, change in cropping patterns, introduction of HYVs, urbanization, expansion of road networks, unplanned embankments and other manmade factors have caused immense damage of habitats in all ecosystems.

· Over exploitation of resources: Unregulated logging, illicit felling, indiscriminate harvest of medicinal plants, Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs), hunting/trafficking, unplanned fishing using bag nets, bottom trawling fishing, fishing in the breeding season and other factors are causing depletion of biodiversity.

· Invasive Alien Species: A large number of non-native plants have been introduced into Bangladesh for agriculture, horticulture, forestry, animal husbandry and fisheries. Also some have become escapes accidentally and having adapted with local conditions proliferated profusely. Local people to different agro-ecological conditions have nurtured some of these and some have become invasive over local flora and fauna.

· Environmental pollution: One of the biggest threats to biodiversity in Bangladesh is pollution of air, soil and water. Water is the greatest victim of contributed by chemical fertilizers, insecticides, industrial effluents that are causing depletion aquatic resources and riparian natural resources.

· Lack of awareness: Lack of information and knowledge automatically leads to gaps in awareness. Gaps in awareness have been identified at various levels. To start with, most people do not even know that there are so many species of organisms in Bangladesh. Even the educated do not know that there are laws that ban hunting and trade in wild animals, there are laws that protect certain species and ecosystems and that there are laws that are meant to control environmental pollution. Different categories of Protected Areas exist in the country. However, many including the policy makers are not aware of the different management systems that the Protected Areas are placed under.

· Weak national information system: There is another kind of gap in the awareness amongst people. Many public organizations are conducting research and implementing biodiversity related activities in the country. But there is no central publicly accessible database or organization or body to maintain the data. People have no idea where to find information and seek help in dealing with biodiversity.

· Lack of biodiversity concepts in environmental education curricula: Environmental education with little contents was introduced in the formal primary education curriculum from grade 1 – 5 but at the secondary school level it is poorly included. Both at primary and secondary school levels the biodiversity concepts are little reflected. There also lacks the capacity for effective teaching of the relevant subject components.

· Lack of capacity: One of the emerging issues identified is week institutional capacities and lack of trained manpower in all disciplines dealing with biodiversity. Gaps in capacity at the level of individuals and institutions have emerged in varied disciplines as that of taxonomy to those that deal with the implementation of laws and policies. Lack of capacity amongst the media personnel in reporting biodiversity-related concerns is yet another pertinent issue. Further, educational institutions that teach biology lack taxonomic expertise. Museums that preserve and display species have limited capacity to deal with lower organisms. Biodiversity planners lack the capacity to evaluate the conservation value of biodiversity.

· Lack of national biodiversity policy and overarching law for conservation of biodiversity: A number of laws that exist in Bangladesh directly or indirectly address the issue of biodiversity conservation. However, they are not adequate to deal with the 3 basic requirement of CBD viz., conservation, sustainable use and equitable sharing of benefits. The various consultations identified that lack of a national biodiversity policy and an overarching law to address biodiversity.

· Poor coordination in management and planning: Lack of coordination and cross-sectoral integration has also been identified as one of the vital issues. Cross-sectoral integration is vital to conservation planning. And as with many countries, there is little cross-sectoral planning in Bangladesh. Lack of integration leads to lack of cooperation between the different user groups leading to conflicts, lack of ownership and the ultimate loss of biodiversity. Different sectoral plans have not paid attention to livelihood and food security of the local people and their continued participation.

· Lack in monitoring: Monitoring is particularly important in understanding the fate of ecosystems, habitats and rare and endangered species. Monitoring is also vital to the management of AIS and natural resources that are commercially utilized such as fish, timber (pulpwood) and medicinal plants. With the exception of elephants and tigers, few other components of biodiversity have been monitored systematically in Bangladesh.

· Absence of a national body or institution for biodiversity conservation issues: Consultations at various levels identified that absence of a national apex body leads to lack of integration, cooperation, awareness, poor capacity, implementation and other processes. So, it was realizes to set a National Body to take care of biodiversity activities.

· Lack of synergies: One of the significance weakness identified to achieve sustainable means of biodiversity conservation has been the lack of synergies between sectors, agencies and actions. Therefore, it was felt that the NBSAP should aims to address issues of synergies between environment, biodiversity and sustainable development.

6. BIODIVERSITY POLICY RECOMMENDATION

Will be incorporated

7. STRATEGIES FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

A long and thorough work of sifting and organizing the many suggestions and proposals for action coming from the different consultations led to the formulation of twelve broad strategies. These strategies provide the overarching structure able to hold all actions emerging from the NBSAP process.

These strategies, linked closely with the key policy statements presented in the previous chapter, are:

1. Biodiversity documentation and valuation.

2. Conservation of ecosystems, species and genetic pool

3. Restoration of ecosystems and recuperation of endangered species

4. Biosafety procedures and standards to deal with AIS and GMO

5. Equitable sharing of biodiversity conservation costs and benefits

6. Awareness raising and capacity building

7. Recuperation of the traditional knowledge and the protection of the intellectual property rights

8. Establishment of an implementing mechanism for the Bangladesh NBSAP (National Biodiversity Board and supporting mechanisms)

9. Establishment of participatory mechanisms leading to biodiversity conservation

10. Review and completion of biodiversity related legislation and creation of a specific branch in the Judiciary

11. Establishment of an open and transparent monitoring and reporting

12. Development of a sustainable funding system for biodiversity conservation

13. Linking biodiversity conservation to climate change, livelihood and poverty

Each one of these strategies has specific purposes. They are presented in the table presented in the next two pages.

8. IMPLEMENTATION MECHANISMS

One of the highest risks of the NBSAP is the follow-up. As it happened with other similar processes in the past, both in Bangladesh and abroad, it is essential that the products of the process lead to implementation of actions instead of being sent to the shelves. This Chapter outlines the implementation mechanism proposed for the NBSAP.

Three essential aspects to be considered when designing the implementation mechanisms are:

· It should be cross-sectoral

· It should be participatory

· Different sectors of the society (including Government, but not only Government) should contribute to this common effort

· Its main functions should be to provide guidance to the system, to encourage the undertaking of activities related to the NBSAP, to register the work on biodiversity issues from a broad spectrum of organizations across the country, to facilitate the coordination of work between different organizations and sectors, to exchange experiences and lessons learned and to assess the general progress towards biodiversity conservation.

A formal institutional set-up for conservation of “Green Sector” of environment has been strongly emphasized in the National Conservation Strategy (NCS) and NEMAP document. This is also a demand of environmental activists, conservationists, civil society, NGOs and others to have a permanent Institutional set-up to deal with biodiversity conservation issues of the country in a coordinated and integrated way.

Considering the present strength of the relevant ministries and agencies and also successful implementation of NBSAP, the following institutional set-up for biodiversity conservation is proposing to mainstream biodiversity conservation and development programme of the country.

The proposed mechanism is multilayered, with a National Biodiversity Conservation Board (NBCB) at the top, integrated by representatives from Government, civil society, academia and private sector. This body, convened by Government, will act as kind of Assembly of biodiversity stakeholders, and its basic character is basically conceptual guidance, exchange and inter-sectoral agreement.

Terms of Reference of the Board:

The proposed National Biodiversity Conservation Board (NBCB) will be responsible for overall management and development of the green sector of the environment. However the board will be specifically responsible for the following, but not limited to:

1. Overall policy decision on biodiversity conservation of the country.

2. Approval of planning, program and action towards biodiversity conservation.

3. Progress review of enforcement of regulations of biodiversity conservation.

4. Monitoring and evaluation of biodiversity conservation action in the country.

5. Approval of National Report and others related issues of the CBD and Annual Report of the proposed secretariat.

6. Co-option of members as necessary

7. At least one meeting in every three months

Function of the Proposal Secretariat:

A Permanent secretariat (Diagram 1) of NBCB is necessary to integrate and coordinate biodiversity conservation activities of the country in a holistic manner. Therefore, proposed institutional set-up would require a formal institutional mechanism to operate efficiently and effectively. The proposed secretariat will be responsible for the following functions:

1. National forum for coordination of biodiversity conservation efforts of the country

2. Overall policy formulation on biodiversity conservation.

3. Integration of planning, program and action on biodiversity conservation of different agencies.

4. Develop central databases on habitat, ecosystems and biodiversity of the country.

5. Monitoring and evaluation of program and actions on biodiversity conservation.

6. Monitoring of enforcement of regulation on biodiversity conservation.

7. Annual report on the status of biodiversity conservation.

8. Provide support to the Ministry of Environment and Forest on MEA’s including CBD.

9. Dissemination of annual report and other information on biodiversity conservation.

10. Any others related issues on biodiversity conservation.

Proposed secretariat will be headed by an Executive Director and supported by four Senior Program Officer, seven Program Officer and six Assistant Program Officer along with other supporting staff.

Below the Board four Tehnical Committees are proposed. This Secretariat supported by the Technical Committees will provide technical advise for successful implementation of biodiversity conservation program in the country.

Diagram 1: Proposed Institutional Set-up for Biodiversity Conservation

Ministry of Environment and Forests

National Biodiversity

Conservation Board

Executive Director

Director (Ecosystem Management)		Director (Enforcement and Monitoring)

Senior Programme Officer – 2		Senior Programme Officer – 2
Programme Officer – 4		Programme Officer – 3
Assistant Programme Officer – 6		Assistant Programme Officer – 3

Structure of the National Biodiversity Conservation Board

1. Minister, Ministry of Environment and Forest - Chairman

2. Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forest - Member

3. Representative, Ministry of Agriculture - Member

4. Representative, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock - Member

5. Representative, Ministry of Land - Member

6. Representative, Ministry of Water Resources - Member

7. Representative, Ministry of Energy - Member

8. Representative, Ministry of Home Affairs - Member

9. Representative, Ministry Health and Family Planning - Member

10. Representative, Ministry Civil Aviation and Tourism - Member

11. Representative, Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Member

12. Representative, Ministry of Commerce - Member

13. Representative, Ministry of Information - Member

14. Representative, Ministry of Industry - Member

15. Representative, Ministry of Woman and Children Affairs - Member

16. Chief Conservator of Forest, Forest Department - Member

17. Director General, Department of Environment - Member

18. Director General, Department of Agriculture Extension - Member

19. Director General, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute - Member

20. Director General, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council - Member

21. Director General, Bangladesh Jute Research Institute - Member

22. Director General, Department of Fisheries - Member

23. Director General, Soil Research Development Institute - Member

24. Director General, Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute - Member

25. Director, Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute - Member

26. Director General, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute - Member

27. Director General, Department Land - Member

28. Director, Bangladesh National Herbarium - Member

29. Director General, Bangladesh Forest Research Institute - Member

30. Executive Chairman, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council - Member

31. Director General, Haor and Wetland Development Board - Member

32. Four NGO Representatives - Member

33. Three Selected Representatives from Civil Society - Member

34. Three Eminent Scientist as Selected Members - Member

35. IUCN – The World Conservation Union - Member

36. Executive Director, National Biodiversity Conservation Board - Member Secretary

Structure of the Technical Committees:

The following technical committees on flora, fauna conservation, Emerging and Cross Cutting Issues and Enforcement and Monitoring will be responsible for providing technical inputs to the board through the secretariat.

A. Technical Committee on Flora Conservation

1. Director (Ecosystem Management), National Biodiversity Conservation Board - Chair

2. Director, Bangladesh National Herbarium - Member

3. Director, Bangladesh Forest Research Institute - Member

4. Representative, Forest Department - Member

5. Representative, Department of Environment - Member

6. Representative, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council - Member

7. Representative from Department of Agriculture Extension - Member

8. Two eminent scientist as selected members - Member

9. Two NGO Representatives - Member

10. IUCN-The World Conservation Union - Member

11. Representative from Botanical Society of Bangladesh - Member

12. Senior Program Officer - Member Secretary

B. Technical Committee on Fauna Conservation

1. Director (Ecosystem Management), National Biodiversity Conservation Board - Chair

2. Representative from Dhaka Zoo - Member

3. Representative From Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute - Member

4. Representative from Forest Department - Member

5. Representative from Department of Environment - Member

6. Representative from Department of Fisheries - Member

7. Representative from Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute - Member

8. Two eminent Scientist as selected members - Member

9. Two NGO Representatives - Member

10. IUCN-The World Conservation Union - Member

11. Representative from Zoological Society of Bangladesh - Member

12. Senior Program Officer - Member Secretary

C. Technical Committee on Emerging and Cross Cutting Issues

1. Director (Enforcement and Monitoring), National Biodiversity Conservation Board - Chair

2. Representative from Department of Environment - Member

3. Representative from Planning Commission - Member

4. Representative from Ministry of Agriculture - Member

5. Representative from Forest Department - Member

6. Representative from IMED - Member

7. NGO Representative - Member

8. IUCN-The World Conservation Union - Member

9. Two Eminent Specialists - Member

10. Senior Program Officer - Member Secretary

D. Technical Committee on Enforcement and Monitoring

1. Director (Regulatory and Monitoring), NBCB - Chair

2. Representative from Ministry of Home Affairs - Member

3. Representative from Ministry of Commerce - Member

4. Representative from Department of Environment - Member

5. Representative from Forest Department - Member

6. NGO Representative - Member

7. Two Eminent Lawyers as Selected Members - Member

8. IUCN- The World Conservation Union - Member

9. Senior Program Officer - Member Secretary

In addition to that, the different Technical Committiees will organize different events to exchange experiences and lessons learned, raise awareness, discuss new issues, generate recommendations to the Board to update both the NBSAP strategies and their action plans, etc. These last activities will ensure that the NBSAP remains a live document that evolves along with the dynamic processes of change in the country.

Implementing mechanism:

The Board will meet at least once in ayear.
The Technical Committees will meet as needed, but not less than quarterly

9. FUNDING MECHANISMS

Given the importance of biodiversity related issues for Bangladesh, there are no question about the fact the essential funding from the NBSAP activities should come from sources within the country. At the same time, it is necessary to recognize that it will take some time to create the legal mechanisms to capture and allocate those resources. Therefore the concurrence of the international cooperation is expected, at least during the initial years of the process.

This situation leads necessarily to a funding strategy organized in two terms: short and long.

Short term funding: until 2010

As said above during the first five years of implementation of the NBSAP it is expected that the international cooperation, through its different multilateral and bilateral mechanisms, will support significantly the implementation of the key activities of NBSAP.

Obviously one of the key activities to be supported during this period is the planning, feasibility analysis and implementation of the long-term funding system for biodiversity. Given the pressing needs to intensify biodiversity conservation and sustainable use activities in Bangladesh, it is expected that the international cooperation will also support other activities and projects prioritized by the NBSAP and its implementing mechanisms.

Medium term funding: 2010 – 2015

It is expected that during this period the long-term funding systems will start to operate and begin to pick new activities as well as some of those funded by the international cooperation. During this period it is expected that the transition from a international-funding focus to a national-funding focus will take place.

Long term funding: 2015 and beyond

In the long term the biodiversity funding system should be based on a combination of approaches, including (but not limited to):

· A variety of “green” taxes and fees aiming to have users to pay for the biodiversity goods and services they use and also to have those users who affect biodiversity negatively to compensate for the cost of restoring the damaged ecosystems and species. There is a growing experience across the world in the use and application of these taxes. Some of these examples are:

o Fees for water taken from natural ecosystems to be paid by both domestic and industrial consumers

o Fees for recreation and other purposes collected at Protected Areas

o Taxes and penalties for biodiversity degradation (e.g. conversion of natural ecosystems to cultivated or built ones)

o Taxes on products extracted from the wild through hunting, fishing or harvesting

o Taxes on toxic products used for productive purposes (e.g. pesticides, herbicides, etc.) that affect biodiversity negatively

o Taxes and penalties for liberation of waste or toxic products without proper treatment to convert them in harmless ones

o Taxes on fossil fuels that contribute to climate change and the consequent endangerment of ecosystems and species

· A variety of endowment funds with specific focus on different biodiversity areas (endangered species, protected areas, clean technologies, sustainable use, etc.) established by the large companies and wealthy families from Bangladesh to complement the activities of Government and help these companies and families to fulfill their respective roles of concerned and responsible members of the Bangladesh society.

10. MONITORING AND REPORTING SYSTEM (M&R)

Another critical piece required for the successful implementation of the Bangladesh NBSAP is an active and credible monitoring and reporting system, able to increase the accountability of the different sectors, organizations and institutions in the implementation of the NBSAP. Article 26 of the CBD also provides a mechanism to monitor the implementation of the Convention. According to Article 26 each Contracting party is oblged to report regularly on the Convention to the CBD Secretatiat as determined by Conference of Parties. This M&R system through implementation mechanism of the NBSAP will also work as a reporting organ to the CBD Secretariat.

Conceptually, the M&R System will:

a. collect information about the implementation of the NBSAP activities by the different implementing institutions and organizations and about the state of biodiversity in Bangladesh, and

b. report periodically about the mentioned issues to the implementing bodies (Biodiversity Board, Authority and Forum) and to the public in general

Operationally, the M&R system will be implemented by an independent organization, with expertise in this area, attached to the National Biodiversity Secretariat.

Collection of information

It will cover two areas:

· implementation performance

· biodiversity status and trends

Regarding implementation performance, the M&R System will start by looking at the activities and projects implemented by the different organizations and institutions according to what they report as plans to the different Boards. Three different set of issues are going to be analyzed:

· performance, meaning whether or not the involved organizations and institutions are delivering according to their own plans

· relevance, meaning a comparison between what is implemented and what are the biodiversity policies, strategies and key actions defined in the NBSAP

· impact, meaning what are the changes that are effectively taking place as a consequence of the implemented activities

Regarding biodiversity status and trends, the M&R system will:

· begin by preparing a Biodiversity Status Baseline Report, to be taken as the reference point for future comparisons

· collect secondary information and commission scientific studies on a regular basis to assess the status and trends of key specific issues relevant to the NBSAP

· every 5 years will conduct a new Biodiversity Status Report whose results are going to be compared with the Baseline ones in order to find the different trends affecting the different areas and issues relevant to biodiversity

Reporting

The M&R System will report periodically about its findings in the different areas to the regular meetings of the Board, Authority and Forum.

Additionally, the M&E System will report regularly to the public through the different communications media of Bangladesh (newspapers, radio, TV and others).

Finally, it is important to highlight that the M&R System will not evaluate or assess the performance of institutions and organizations or the status and trends of biodiversity. It will provide the necessary information to the different institutions, media and public so they can make the pertinent assessments and judgments by themselves, as they consider suitable.

11. ACTION PLAN

The NBSAP needs to be implemented through an Action Plan. The consultation meetings, workshops, focus group meetings, comments and views received from people suggested a wide range of actions. These have been filtered through CBD principles and other MEAs. The actions to implement each strategy have been broadly identified into Action Areas as shown in the following Table. In the Action Plan under each Action Area some specific actions with key actors as identified by the stakeholders have been provided in tables. The tables do not limit the actions. More actions could be selected from the resource materials attached with the NBSAP document.

As stated in the Strategy documents that to implement the NBSAP each strategy has broadly been translated into Priority Action Areas. In the Action Plan each Action Area has been briefly described. A table follows the brief descriptin indicating some specific actions with key actors and priority. Following the actions brief justification particularly concerned with CBD and MEAs are given. The tables do not limit the specific actions. These are some broad and general actions. More actions identified by different stakeholders are available in the resouce materials attached with the NBSAP document.

Action Area 1.1: Documentation of Biodiversity

Brief discussion: Estimates round the world have placed the number of species on earth between 10 and 50 million. However, there is greater agreement on a figure that is closer to 10 million than on something at the farther end. It has also been estimated that around 90% of the earth’s biodiversity is contributed by microorganisms, lower plants and animals. Unfortunately much of the biodiversity in these lower organisms is as yet poorly documented throughout the world. Biodiversity inventories in the tropical and developing countries are particularly far from complete as they support tropical ecosystems that are very rich in species and they do not have the resources and expertise to undertake the process of inventorying each and every component of biodiversity. As with other tropical countries, the biodiversity inventorying and documentation process in Bangladesh is still incomplete.

To have every living organism identified and documented is an impossible task for any country. Globally, only 1.75 million species (less than 20% of the estimated number of species) have been named. Nevertheless, countries are encouraged to begin the process so that most organisms are known to science over a period of time. Efforts to document local biodiversity that goes on in many colleges and universities should be strengthened.

Biodiversity resources are a key component to maintain and improve the wellbeing of the people of Bangladesh. Therefore, conserving biodiversity and the goods and services it provides is a fundamental need for every sector and person in the country.

The agro-ecosystems [part of the cultivated ecosystems] are vital to human livelihoods and economy [of Bangladesh] as they contribute 17% of the GDP. Forests (including the mangroves) provide 90 million man-days of job opportunities annually and contribute 7% to the GDP. The different aquatic ecosystems together provide for 11% of the country’s export revenue through fisheries, offer jobs to 5% of the work force and contribute 3.3% to the GDP.

The paragraph above is just an illustration of some aspects of the economic values of biodiversity. There is no integral study of this value for Bangladesh, but it will be not surprising if such a study concludes that 50% or more of the country’s GDP is based on biodiversity goods and services. It would also be a stark reminder about what is at stake with the biodiversity resources of the country.

Justification: CBD Article 7; Second meeting of the COP of CBD Decision II/15; Fourth meeting of the COP of CBD Decision IV/6; Agenda 21 Section 2 – Chapters 15.

Action Area 1.2: Identification and Mapping of Biodiversity Hot spots

Brief discussion: Biodiversity hotspots are localities that sustain high numbers of species with a significant proportion of rare, endemic and threatened species and are faced with enormous threats of habitat loss and degradation. Twenty-five hotspots have been identified in the world and Bangladesh is in close proximity to the Eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot.

Ecosystems rich in endemic biodiversity are tropical rainforests, natural freshwater lakes and wetlands. Other species rich ecosystems that are being rapidly lost to development, pollution and climate change are coral reefs and mangroves. Bangladesh has been blessed with all four types of ecosystems (and many more) and none of them are extensive enough to be resilient in the long term. For instance, the Sundarbans that was once considered to be the most extensive and pristine mangrove ecosystem in the world is currently degraded with only half the original bulk left. The present diversity of plants in Sundarbans is less than half of what was recorded at the beginning of the 20^th century. Heavy pressures of extraction from the pulp and paper industry and the local communities have together placed heavy pressures on the mangrove.

Immediate efforts to map the present distribution and extent of all biodiversity hotspots, identification and classification of the threats and prioritization of the specific areas for conservation can only save the fragile and biodiversity rich ecosystems in the country.

Justification: CBD Article 7 & 8; Fifth meeting of the COP of CBD Decision V/6; Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage; Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals; Bangladesh WPA, 1974; Agenda 21 Section 2 – Chapters 12-13.

Action Area 1.3: Promote Economic Evaluations of Biodiversity and Create a Forum to Exchange Results and Methods

Brief discussion: The economic values of biodiversity have been grossly underestimated. Whereas some values have been placed on resources that are directly traded as fish, timber and medicinal plants, most other species and ecosystem services have little value in most countries. This is not unique to developing countries but also developed ones as sometimes the ecosystem processes are too complex to be valued in monetary terms and even when valued, the available economic tools are often inadequate to evaluate ecosystem services accurately.

Bangladesh is spending a good deal of money in flood control measures and in the prevention of water deterioration. However, the services the natural ecosystems have provided in maintaining clean air and water are often undermined. Unless the value of biodiversity is adequately highlighted, both common people and policy makers will continue to ignore ecosystems, plants and animals.

Justification: CBD Article 11 & 13; Third meeting of the COP of CBD Decision III/18.

Action Area 1.4: Creation of a National Biodiversity Information System

Brief discussion: Bangladesh is rich in terms of biodiversity. Many public organizations are conducting research and implementing biodiversity related activities in the country. There is a wide gap in the awareness amongst people about nature and its resources. But there is no central publicly accessible database or organization or body to maintain and update the data. People have no idea where to find information and seek help in dealing with biodiversity. Lack of information and data lead to poor planning, implementation and monitoring. So, a publicly accessable central data repository is needed.

Action Area 1.5: Creation of National Biodiversity Institution

Brief discussion: Consultations at various levels identified that absence of a national apex body leads to lack of integration, cooperation, awareness, poor capacity, proper implementation and other processes. So, it was realizes to set a National Body to take care of biodiversity activities. Its main functions should be to provide guidance to the system, to encourage the undertaking of activities related to the NBSAP, to register the work on biodiversity issues from a broad spectrum of organizations across the country, to facilitate the coordination of work between different organizations and sectors, to exchange experiences and lessons learned and to assess the general progress towards biodiversity conservation.

A multilayered National Biodiversity Conservation Board integrated by representatives from Government, civil society, academia and private sector has been proposed in the Strategy Document (Under Section –8: Implementation Mechanism). This body, convened by Government, will act as kind of ‘Assembly’ of biodiversity stakeholders, and its basic character is to provide conceptual guidance, exchange and inter-sectoral agreement. Below the Board, four Technical Committees are recommended. .

A National Biodiversity Secretariat will serve the entire structure. The Ministry of Environment and Forests will play this function, with the technical support of an organization of recognized expertise in biodiversity. The NBSAP monitoring and reporting system will be attached to this Secretariat.

Action Area 2.1: Develop Plans to Assess Different Ecosystem Functions

Brief discussion: Recognizing potential gains from ecosystems, there is usually a need to understand and manage the ecosystems in an economic context. Conservation of ecosystem structure and functioning, in order to maintain ecosystem services, should be a priority target of the ecosystem approach. Ecosystems must be managed within the limits of their functioning.

The ‘ecosystem approach’ should be undertaken at the appropriate spatial and temporal scales. Recognizing the various temporal scales and lag-effects that characterize ecosystem processes, objectives for ecosystem management should be set for the long term. Management must recognize the fact that change is inevitable.

The ecosystem approach should seek to appropriatly balance and integrate conservation and use of biological diversity.

The ecosystem approach should consider all forms of relevant information, including scientific know – how, indigenous and local knowledge, innovations and practices.

Ecosystems are characterized by energy flows and ecotones. Ecotones are edges that regulate the energy flows between ecosystems. When the structure of an ecosystem is altered due to the loss of one or more habitats, the function will also be adversely affected. Thus in an aquatic ecosystem that is characterized by rivers, oxbows, haor and beel, change of depth, flow and the chemistry of water in one of the components can affect the rest of the ecosystem. The close and supportive interaction of the various habitats in an ecosystem that contribute to it integrity is what is meant by ecosystem-habitat linkage

The ecosystem approach should involve all relevant sectors of society and scientific disciplines.

Action Area 2.2: Develop Ecosystem wise Biodiversity Monitoring Guidelines

Brief discussion: Ecosystems are the backbone of biodiversity. All species of microorganisms, plants and animals contribute to earth’s ecosystem processes and are in return dependent on the process for their continued survival. There is therefore a cyclic process in place in all ecosystems. Unfortunately, however, ecosystems receive little attention in conservation initiatives are they are often focused on species and habitats.

Ecosystem management plans should be broad-based and there should be some tools to assess the ecosystem health assessment and biodiversity conservation.

Justification: Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage; CBD Article 5, 8, 14 & 18; COP V/7;Agenda 21 Section 2 – Chapters 12-18.

Action Area 2.3: Development of a National System of Protected Areas

Brief discussion: The system of Protected Areas was developed to ensure that a country’s biodiversity is protected. Although the strategy has proved to be the best means of conservation, it has met with a lot of resistance from the local communities, mainly since they were excluded, and criticisms from the scientists that many of the PAs are neither big enough nor representative of the region’s biodiversity. Both concerns are real and many developing countries that have established PAs have done so on an ad hoc basis or with the intention of protecting some keystone/flagship species such as the tiger, rhino or elephant.

Bangladesh is no exception in this regard and as such there is a lot of scope for expanding the existing system by including hotspots and diverse ecosystems to make the network of PA in the country as representative as possible. The following actions are proposed keeping this in view.

Justification: Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance; UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Program; Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage; CBD Article 8; COP of CBD Decision II/10; Agenda 21 Section 2 – Chapters 12-13.

Acttion Area 2.4:Development and Implementation of Management Plans for Key Landscapes and Ecosystems

Brief discussion: Ecosystems are the backbone of biodiversity. All species of microorganisms, plants and animals contribute to earth’s ecosystem processes and are in turn dependent on the processes for their continued survival. There is therefore a cyclic process in all ecosystems. Unfortunately, however, ecosystems receive little attention in conservation initiatives that are often directed towards species and habitats.

Ecosystem management plans should be holistic and should draw on the experiences of other parts of the world where similar ecosystems exist. Ecosystem management plans should also seek to extend trans-boundary cooperation in the conservation of biodiversity.

Justification: Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage; CBD Article 5, 8, 14 & 18; Agenda 21 Section 2 – Chapters 12-18.

Action Area 2.5: Local Conservation of Indigenous Domesticated Plants and Animals

Brief discussion: Very often conservation initiatives have failed throughout the world as they alienated the local communities. In most of the biodiversity rich countries, the local communities have been the guardians of biodiversity over time immemorial. They have also preserved the knowledge relating to the conservation and use of biodiversity, especially in the area of traditional medicine and health remedies.

A large number of species of plants are in great demand annually in Bangladesh to sustain the traditional medicine industry. Some species that are of commercial importance are harvested to upto 100,000 kg per year. Such harvests, unless supported with adequate cultivation and ex situ conservation measures will soon lead to depletion of the entire wild stock. Further, there is the contention that certain medicinal plants do not yield the best alkaloids unless grown in the appropriate habitats. This has been the justification for harvesting the wild populations. Encouraging the local communities to raise medicinal plant and agrobiodiversity gardens and conserve domesticated indigenous animals will not only address the ecological issues relating to the production of the most desirable end products but also provide incentives for conservation and sustainable use.

Action Area 2.6: Promotion and Monitoring of Sustainable Fisheries

Brief discussion: One of the largest sources of pressure on the biodiversity of Bangladesh comes from the Fisheries Sector. Around 3.3% of the GDP is contributed by fisheries. Most of the contribution from the Fisheries Sector is that from inland fisheries and aquaculture. Wetlands throughout the country have suffered the consequences of over-fishing, AIS and the use of piscicides to increase productivity in aquaculture. The general declining trends in fish yields and the deteriorating habitats have raised the alarm that the future of fisheries in the country is rather bleak.

Appropriate strategies to sustainably harvest fish resources are the need of the day. There should also be a concerted effort in containing the spread of AIS throughout the inland aquatic ecosystems of the country.

Justification: CBD Article 8 & 10; Agenda 21 Section 2 – Chapter 17-18; UNFCCC Article 2; International Convention on Combating Desertification.

Action Area 2.7: Promotion and Monitoring of Sustainable Timber Extraction and NTFP Harvest from Forests

Brief discussion: NTFP also known as ‘minor forest produce’ has sustained people over the millennia. Forest products such as tubers, leaves, fruits, seeds, honey and firewood have contributed immensely to the food and livelihood security of local human communities. However, the current rates of extraction have increased considerably since there are national and international markets that have placed demands on these once locally consumed forest products. Such pressures have been further enhanced by the fact that forests are shrinking leaving the people in Bangladesh to have access to one of the world’s smallest per capita extent of forest. Unless some means of harvest restrictions are imposed, many of the forest products are likely to become dearer and can lead to degradation of the ecosystem and habitats. At the same time, the restrictions should not deprive the local communities who have for ages relied on the NTFP for their sustenance and have customary rights over the forest resources.

Justification: CBD Article 7, 8 & 10; Agenda 21 Section 2 – Chapter 3 & 8.

Brief discussion: Wide range of agro-biodiversity occurs in different agro-ecosystems and agro-ecological zones of the country. Because of the introduction of high yielding varieties and changes in management practices agro-biodiversity of the country are eroding at an alarming rate. Both in-situ and ex-situ conservations can ensure the continuing availability of broad range genes for improvement or for introduction in case of loss. Therefore, both ex situ and in situ conservation are equally important to safeguard the genetic erosion, genetic vulnerability and finally genetic wipeout. At present, only ex situ conservation facilities are prevailing in the research institutes. There is no provision for any in situ programme. There are no facilities for conservation of recalcitrant seeds or vegetative propagated plants.

Considering the present situation and future needs Bangladesh should address the conservation of agrobiodiversity and importance of plant genetic resources.

Justification: CBD Article 7,COP II/15, COPIV/6, the Leipzig IV International Technical Conference, 1996, on plant genetic resources.

Action Area 2.9: Preparations and Implementation of a National Programme on Conservation and Sustainable Use of Medicinal Plants

Brief discussion: As the medicinal plants are directly related to the health of a greater portion of people of Bangladesh appropriate steps should be taken for their conservation. Although there is no reliable data available that which species of medicinal plants require conservation, there is a unanimous agreement that most of the natural ecosystems are threatened. There is also an agreement that almost all forest of Bangladesh has been exploited heavily during last few decades. As the biodiversity is being depleted at an alarming rate, there is a danger of losing useful species even before they are discovered and named. Conservation of all the species of nutritional and medicinal value is not possible, priority must be given to those that are at risk of extinction and appropriate measures should be taken without delay.

Action Area 2.10: Protect Native Genetic Resources from Indiscriminate Crossing with Exotic Varieties

Brief discussion: Native genetic resources are the products of 1000s of years of selective breeding and nurturing. They can be easily lost through indiscriminate crossing. The native genetic resources are often best suited for local conditions as they are capable of resisting diseases, pests and fluctuations in local weather conditions. Worldwide, with the advancements in the field of molecular biology and genetic engineering, there is a lot of scope for the utilization of native genetic resources and hence bio-prospecting has emerged as a multi-national industry.

Native genetic resources have shown the potential of feeding into the food, medicine and forestry sectors. It is essential that the resources be conserved lest they erode without notice.

Justification: CBD Article 10, 11 & 15; Second meeting of the COP of the CBD Decision II/15&16; CBD’s Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety; UNFCCC Article 2; International Convention on Combating Desertfication.

STRATEGY 3: RESTORATION OF ECOSYSTEMS AND RECUPERATION OF ENDANGERED SPECIES

Action Area 3.1:Development of Restoration Plans for Critical and Degraded Ecosystems

Brief discussion: Population pressure, excessive and unregulated resource harvest, encroachment of forest land for agriculture, plantion of exotics, monoculture, filling of water bodies, unplanned infratructure and embankements, industrial and agricultural pollution and other anthropogenic factors have degraded ecosystems. Many hill and riverine ecosystems are fragile and have been paved by many environmental disasters. Degradation of ecosystems have caused the loss of biodiversity and disrupted the functions. Degration has also caused the fragmentatation of the population size and ultimately to the genetic level. So, recently the ecosystem approach has been adopted for sustainable development.

Brief discussion: Many species of plants and animals are at present threatened with extinction due to loss of habitat, over-harvest and inadequate information on their distribution and abundance. In Bangladesh there is some information on the status of elephants and marsh crocodiles, but hardly anything is known about the abundance and distribution of other mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and woody plants. The situation is even worse when it concerns the lower plants and animals.

Lack of information and capacity have together contributed to this. The following actions are therefore proposed such that the gap that has been identified is properly addressed and filled.

Justification: CITES; Bangladesh WPA, 1974; CBD Article 7; Agenda 21 Section 2 – Chapters 15.

Action Area 3.3: Development and Implementation of Management Plans for Endangered Species

Brief discussion: More than 100 species of plants and 200 species of animals are listed as threatened in Bangladesh. The general trend throughout the world is that there are more and more species that get added to the Red List and it is feared that over the years to come, around 50% of the world’s biodiversity will be threatened in one form or the other.

The threats faced by plants and animals are loss of habitat, over-harvest and secondary impacts including pollution and AIS. Unless the various threats driving species to extinction are carefully understood and appropriate management plans are prepared, the rate at which species are disappearing cannot be slowed down.

Justification: CBD Article 8-10; CITES; Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.

Brief discussion: A large number of plants and animals have been introduced into countries during historical times knowingly or inadvertently. However, some of the species have taken advantage of the newly created niches, especially those offered by agriculture and urbanization and to a lesser extent by the elimination of native predators, and their unique life history strategies to establish themselves and spread throughout their newly found environment. Alien species of rats, insects and a number of species of flowering plants have thus established themselves in countries other than that of their origin and at present proved invasive.

A number of species of AIS in Bangladesh are plants that are posing threats to the local biodiversity in agroecosystems, wetlands and forests. However, there are also many species of fish that have come in through the fisheries industry and the ornamental fish trade. It is not easy to predict as to when species may take the status of an invasive species without adequate information of its habits and native habitats. Unless carefully monitored, the many exotic species that have been introduced into the country will sooner or later pose a threat to the local biodiversity and human health as AIS.

Justification: CBD Article 8; Fourth meeting of the COP of CBD Decision IV/3;V/8; VI/23; Ramsar Convention on wetlands of International Importance; Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals; Cartagena Protocol of CBD on Biosafety; 1995 FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries; Agenda 21 Section 2 – Chapters 11-18.

Action: Develop Biosafety Guidelines in the light of Cartagena Protocol and implement it properly.

STRATEGY 5: EQUITABLE SHARING OF BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION COSTS AND BENEFITS

Action Area 5.1: Development and Implementation of an Eco-tourism Strategy Centered in Creating Benefits

Brief discussion: Tourism is emerging as a major enterprise across the world. Nature tourism, now better-called ‘eco-tourism’ has attracted a large number of people all over the world and countries are promoting it for the potential revenue that is to be generated. Eco-tourism has its merits and limits as all other enterprises do. However, considering the merits, it is necessary that the benefits of the enterprise be equitably shared with the local guardians of biodiversity.

Few places in the world limit eco-tourism to the wilderness areas. Most packages and operators include visits to local villages and expose the tourists to native cultures especially food and dancing. However, except in a few countries where there is a lot of awareness and institutional support, the local communities get nothing in return for their services. It is necessary that this gap is addressed and adequately bridged in Bangladesh.

Justification: CBD Article 11 & 13; Sixth meeting of the COP of CBD Decision VI/14&15.

Action Area 5.2: Institute a Mechanism for Fair Compensation in Human-Animal Conflicts and Promote the Assessments of These Conflicts

Brief discussion: One of the major threats to biodiversity in developing countries is the increasing level of human-animal conflicts. These conflicts may start as simple problems of managing pests including vertebrate in agriculture, to crop and livestock raiding by elephants and carnivores and loss of human life by snakebites and man-eating crocodiles and tigers. Depending on the nature of the conflict and the loss, the incidence can take very different and sensitive dimensions leading to major socio-political impacts on the country’s biodiversity.

Most developing countries are very poorly equipped to deal with human-animal conflict, as sometimes the conflicts are trans-boundary in nature. The whole issue involves high levels of sensitivity in the government agency that deals with it and a large amount of financial backup. Compensation when paid is meager or they reach the victims after a tremendous amount of red tape and bribery. This is not a situation that is unique to any particular country.

Justification: CBD Article 5, 8 & 11; UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Program; Agenda 21.

Action Area: 6.1 Taxonomic Capacity Building for Different Groups of Organisms

Brief discussion: Capacity to undertake research and manage biodiversity is lacking in many developing countries. Identification and documentation are the initial steps towards biodversity conservation and management. Taxonomy deals with identification. Many existing institutions and university departments in the country are conducting reseach in taxonomy of higher plants and vertebrate animals. There is a lack of skilled taxonomists for lower groups of plants, invertebrate animals and microorganisms. While it is lamented that taxonomists are on the decline, institutions lack the capacity to train more taxonomists. Museums that have large collections of plants and animals lack modern facilities and trained personnel to maintain the collections in the best possible ways. This is particularly the case with museums that are maintained by local colleges and universities. There is enormous scope for taxonomic capacity building in Bangladesh.

Governments, through the CBD, have acknowledged the existence of a “taxonomic impediment” to the sound management of biodiversity. The purpose of the Global Taxonomic Initiative (GTI) is to remove or reduce this taxonomic impediment – in other words, the knowledge gaps in our taxonomic system (including those associated with genetic systems), the shortage of trained taxonomists and curators, and the impact these deficiencies have on our ability to conserve, use and share the benefits of our biological diversity.

Action Area 6.2: Capacity Building Process for Cross Section of People and Existing Institutions

Brief discussion: Biodiversity management and conservation cover a wide area and fall under multiple sectors. So, it is a cross-sectoral issue and people from all walks of life need to be sensitized and trained in biodiversity conservation. Many existing institutions also lack the capability of carrying forward their aims and commitments. For instance, many institutions that have the authority to manage natural resources are not fully equipped to understand and implement the existing laws and policies to the best extent. This is not only the case with research and academic institutions, but there is much scope for capacity building in different sectors and disciplines. Some actions of interest are addressed below.

Brief discussion: Lack of awareness is the greatest threat to any conservation initiative. Very often species have been lost forever only due to the lack of awareness. The millions of Passenger Pigeons that soon went extinct in the United States or the Dodo of Mauritius are the best examples to illustrate cases where ignorance played a major role in the loss of biodiversity. Many ecosystems and species are faced with the same predicament all over the world for the need of adequate information and awareness amongst the common people. Despite the fact that local communities have a lot of knowledge about species, ecosystems and their phenology, most do not know the importance of endemism, taxonomic uniqueness and hence the global importance of species or of AIS and GMO. There is therefore a need to educate them as well.

CBD starts be acknowledging the ‘intrinsic value’ of biodiversity ie., the right to existence. Many are unaware of these aspects of biodiversity conservation and hence awareness creation through appropriate communication and education emerges as a significant step in the march towards the goals of conservation.

Action	Key actors	Priority
Develop a database of all known species (based on published information)	MoEF, Mo SICT	High
Inventory of inland water resources	MoEF, MoWR
Inventory of marine biodiversity	Institute of Marine Sciences Chittagong University	High
Inventory of microorganisms	Universities	High
Inventory of lower plants	BNH andUniversities	High
Inventory of invertebrates	BFRI, National Museum and Universities	High
Inventory of agrobiodiversity	BARI, BJRI , BRRI, Universities	High
Inventory of domesticated animal biodiversity	BAU, BLRI, DLS	High
Inventory of non-traditional food plants and those with the potential of domestication	BFRI, BNH	High
Develop village-based inventory of flora and fauna	Gram Sarkar and NGOs	High
Document the status of NTFPs throughout the country	MoEF, FD and BFRI	High
Prepare Handbooks that illustrate and describe the known species of plants and animals in Bangladesh	Mo SICT	High

Action	Key actors	Priority
Develop a GIS based high resolution ‘lifescape’ map of the country	MoEF, Mo SICT, CEGIS	High
Develop conservation plans for the prioritized hotspots	F D, MoEF and BWDB	High
Identify key habitats that ensure ecosystem integrity and connectivity (corridors, migratory flyways of birds, fish passes, etc)	FD, DoF	High
Identify the hot spots and map the distribution of microorganisms	MoEF, SRDI, CEGIS	Medium
Develop a map of soil and water pollution for the country	NAMIC, SRDI, MoEF, MoA, CEGIS	High

Action	Key actors	Priority
Introduce environmental economics into the curriculum of all courses that deal with economics	MoE, Research Institutes and Universities	High
Create a committee of economists that can work with biodiversity experts and develop appropriate tools for economic valuation of biodiversity	MoEF, MoE	High

Action	Key actors	Priority
Develop central data base and electronic information management system	MoEF, MSICT	High
Network biodiversity information systems such that they are accessible across sectors	MoEF, MSICT, IUCN	High
Develop clearing house mechanism	MoEF, Proposed NBCB	High

Action	Key actors	Priority
Develop means to launch study of plant-animal interactions	MoEF, Mo SICT	High
Promote research on breeding biology of the endangered species of plants and animals, medicinal plants, potential plants for domestication	MoEF, Mo SICT, Research and Academic Institutes	Medium
Promote and monitor natural regeneration methods in different ecosystems	BFRI, FD, Universities	High
Identify and conserve of pollinators, particularly insects	Universities, Research Institutes	High
Identify the ecosystem functions and their linkages with biodiversity and livelihood in different ecosystems and landscapes	FD, BFRI, SRDI, BFRI (Fish), Universities, NGOS	Medium
Monitor the change of microorganisms diversity due to environmental changes	MoEF, BARI, BINA	Medium
Explore, assess and study different biological control methods	Research Institues, Universities	Medium

Action	Key actors	Priority
Establish and manage fish sanctuaries both in fresh water and marine ecosystem including ‘brush piles’ in fresh water ecosystem	MoFL, DoF, BFRI (Fish), Local communities, CBOs	High
Create awareness amongst the fishing communities	DoF, NGOs, CBOs	High
Locally monitor and regulate the release of AIS and hybrids	DoF	High
Develop community-based wetland and aquatic resources management	DoF, NGOs, CBOs	High
Regulate the indiscriminate use of fishing nets	DoF, FD, Civil Administration, Local Government	High
Protection of Halda River mouth as fish breeding ground	DoF, Civil administration, Local government, LCOs	High
Establish closed seasons of harvest in important fish breeding habitats	DoF, FD, Civil Administration, Local Government	High
Create alternate livelihood opportunities for fishing communities	MoEF, Local Government and NGOs	High
Identify and maintain fish pass through out the country	DoF, MoWR, WARPO,LCOs	Medium