Healthy ecosystem vital for resilience
Healthy ecosystems and protection from natural disasters are critical to developing a resilient Bangladesh, said US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller, following a three-day visit to the Sundarbans yesterday.
The visit by Miller and USAID Mission Director Derrick Brown to the world’s largest mangrove forest, ahead of World Wetlands Day on February 2, highlighted the importance of conserving the Sundarbans and its wildlife, according to a statement of the US embassy yesterday.
During the trip, Miller met Bangladesh Forest Department representatives at Harbaria and visited the US government supported conservation activities that contribute to the protection of the Sundarbans and its biodiversity.
He visited Kotka with a doctoral student from the University of Delaware whose tiger conservation research is funded by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. They also hiked part of the popular Kotka trail and learned about the role and impact of tourism in the Sundarbans.
Yesterday, Miller met with representatives of local civil society organisation, WildTeam Limited, to learn how conservation activities have continued beyond USAID’s $10.5 million Bengal Tiger Conservation Activity (Bagh), completed in 2018.
On May 22, 2019, Forest Department and USAID announced that the Bengal tiger population had stabilised and marginally increased, from an estimated 106 tigers in 2015 to around 114 tigers in 2018.
Through USAID’s Bagh and Climate Resilient Ecosystems and Livelihoods (CREL) activities, in partnership with Bangladesh government, USAID helped train community groups to conserve the Sundarbans and its diverse biodiversity. CREL activities, included supporting the planting of 565,000 mangrove seedlings on 512 hectares.
Support for conservation initiatives has played a fundamental role in preserving green space and the valuable ecosystems and biodiversity in the United States, which is important to increasing US resilience, said a statement of the US embassy in Dhaka.
“Such efforts provide similar benefits to Bangladesh, strengthening its capacity to respond to natural disasters and protect ecosystems critical not only to Bangladesh but also the health of the planet.
“The US government is committed to continue supporting Bangladesh’s resilience to natural hazards and advance US-Bangladesh priorities,” the statement added.
WORLD WETLANDS DAY
World Wetlands Day highlights the important environmental protection role wetlands play throughout the world and emphasises why wetlands are vital to promote conservation of these important ecosystems, according to the US Embassy.
The Sundarbans is the world’s largest mangrove forest and an appropriate site to showcase the importance of wetlands.
This important region provides a natural barrier to hazards such as storms and cyclones and is home to the Bengal tiger, masked finfoot, irrawaddy dolphin, saltwater crocodile, and many other endangered or vulnerable species, said the embassy.
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