Location within country: Southern –East Coastal Region (Cox’s Bazar – Teknaf Peninsula (ECA)
Partner Organization: Department of Environment, Ministry of Environment and Forest funding from UNDP/GEF
Start Date: January 2007
Completion Date: June 2010

Name of Joint Venture Consultants:

IUCN, Bangladesh and Centre for Sustainable Development (CFSD)

Description of Project:

Wetlands and coastal ecosystems are of great importance to Bangladesh and it provides immediate benefits to the local people. Coastal areas are very important for its unique and characteristic faunal and floral diversity, and its linkages to livelihood of poor coastal communities. Unfortunately, the costal biodiversity of the country is highly degraded as reflected in the loss in biodiversity, erosion, habitat degradation, conversion of land, removal of mangroves, siltation, etc. This situation has been threatening the value of these areas as habitat for biodiversity and for provision of vital environmental services. Thus this situation has resulted in a serious ecological catastrophe and a declining spiral of production and productivity irreversibly detrimental to the livelihood of people living in and around the area, historically dependant on them. Recognizing the biodiversity degradation in the country and its consequences, in 1999, the government of Bangladesh designated and established a number of Ecologically Critical Areas (ECA) with biodiversity significance under the provision of Article I of the Bangladesh Environment Act, 1995. Teknaf peninsula is an important ECA of the country. Poor governance and lack of appropriate and pragmatic management regimes for these ECAs have been linked to the failure in ECA management in the country. Responding to the urgent need to address the biodiversity conservation, Department of Environment (DoE) initiated a project, called ” with a view to halt the degrading situation of these resources by involving local community and sustainably manage ECAs.

Teknaf peninsula ECA is a unique environment, having ally significant biodiversity value. However, anthropogenic activities have posed a serious threat to the sustainability of its resources. There fore, Teknaf Peninsula ECA has been included in CWBMP project. A Conservation Management Plan for the site was developed engaging local and foreign expatriate consultants..