Student Advising

M. Shah Alam Khan

Name of the student : Maniruzzaman

Program : PG.Dip. (WRD)

Title : Assessment of CHANGE IN A SELECTED Wetland Ecosystem and its Impacts on Local livelihoods

Background and present state of the problem:

Wetlands are vital links between water and livelihoods in Bangladesh. A majority of the people of Bangladesh are critically dependent on wetlands for their livelihoods (Talukder et al., 2009). The floodplain lakes or beel ecosystems of Bangladesh inhabited by diversified flora and fauna are extra ordinarily complex (Saha et al., 2003). These diversified ecosystems are rapidly degrading for various reasons like population pressure, over exploitation of resources and human intervention on natural systems. In the recent past, professional fishers were dependent on wetlands to earn their livelihoods by harvesting fish. However, later on millions of poor and landless households were deprived of their right because of land use change and decline of ecological resources (Mahfuzuddin, 1993). The degradation of resources in wetland ecosystems is more rapid than that in other ecosystems in Bangladesh (Hector et al., 2005).

Baril beel situated in the Fulbaria Upazila of Mymensingh district is a complex ecosystem containing a cluster of 15 water bodies including two rivers. The livelihoods of many people of the nearby villages especially the poor living around the beel area have been dependent on the resources of this wetland. These resources are mainly fish, crab, turtle, bird, snail, oyster, water lily, etc. Change in land use pattern over the last few decades has reduced the ecological resources and common property areas of this wetland. The main drivers of the land use change are higher economic returns from vegetables and rice, new agricultural technologies, and higher land availability due to siltation. A recently-implemented water resources development project has promoted intensive use of this wetland for agriculture. However mostly the rich land owners are getting benefit from the land use change. Poor professional fishers have been forced to change their profession from fishing to other jobs like day labor, rickshaw pulling, etc. An in-depth case study will help understand the change in ecological resources and its impact on local livelihoods.

Objectives:

The main objectives of the study are:

(i)      to make an inventory of the ecological resources and major livelihoods groups in the study area,

(ii)    to identify the causes of changes in ecological resources, and

(iii)   to determine the impacts of ecological resources on local people's livelihoods.

This study will reveal the changes in ecological resources and related livelihoods in a typical beel ecosystem caused by different drivers.

Methodology:

Secondary information will be collected from LGED (contour map, feasibility study of implemented project) to delineate the catchment area, and Union Parishad (documents and reports regarding the study area) to learn the demography of the area.

The present ecological resources will be identified by direct observation and resource mapping in different strategically selected locations. User groups of these resources will be identified through key informant interviews based on the resource maps.

The trend in changes in ecological resources from 1980 to 2009 and causes of these changes will be assessed through timeline analysis with selected groups. The impacts of these changes on local people's livelihoods will be assessed through a series of FGDs. The primary information sought from the FGDs will include linkages between each livelihood group and different ecological resources. The FGDs will be also used to identify livelihood migration from fishing to rickshaw pulling, day labor and industrial employment. There will be four focus groups: (i) fishermen, (ii) rich farmers, (iii) marginal farmers, and (iv) rickshaw pullers and day laborers who were professional fishers. Two FGDs will be conducted with each group from two villages around the beel and two FGDs will be conducted with group (iv) in one village three km away from the beel. Mostly the poor people of this village used to practice fishing in this beel for their livelihoods.

Since the beel is not directly hydraulically linked to the river throughout the year, seasonal water level in the beel will also be determined through the FGDs. This information will be used to identify the relation between water level and ecological resources.

References:

Hector, G., Priyanie, A., and Huber-Lee, A. (2005). "The Effects of Agricultural Irrigation on Wetland Ecosystems in Developing Countries: Discussion Paper on Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture", International Water Management Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

LGED (2004). "Combined Summary Appraisal Report and Summary IEE Report", Project Management Office, SSWRDSP, LGED, Dhaka.

Mahfuzuddin, A. (1993). "Rights, Benefits and Social Justice: Keeping Common Property Freshwater Wetland Ecosystems of Bangladesh", Fourth Common Property Conference, 16-19 June 1993, Manila, The Philippines, ICLARM Contribution No. 947, International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM), Manila, The Philippines.

Saha, J.K., Hasan, M.R., Habib, M.A.B., and Poulsen, A.F. (2003). "Plankton Biodiversity in Boro Beel, Pabna, Bangladesh", Department of Aquaculture, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.

Talukder, B., Nobukazu, N., and Rashid, M.S. (2009). "State and Management of Wetlands in Bangladesh", Springer Japan, 5(1): 1860-1871.

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