Conserving natural resources: Imperative for survival

Clockwise from Top-Left: Typical forest full of natural resources in Tangabati (Chittagong). Forest-cuts as natural resource for livelihood. (Rama Kalenga: Sylhet). Aquatic ecosystems in mangrove habitat. (Nijhum Dweep).

Conservation is the optimum rational use of natural resources and the environment, having regard to the various demands made upon them and the need to safeguard and maintain them for the future. It is the protection, improvement and use of natural resources according to principles that will assure their highest economic or social benefits.
In ecology, conservation includes those measures concerned with the preservation, restoration, benefication, maximization, reutilization, substitution, allocation and integration of natural resources. In the present time, the term conservation has become an integral part of our everyday vocabulary. The term conservation absorbs principles from multiple directions of basic and social sciences; and all the principles make up the theme.
Why bio-resource conservation in Bangladesh is urgent and essential? The answer is very important and significant both for environmental and economic considerations. In Bangladesh, bio-resource is characterized by 'species richness' and 'population-size shortness'. The population-size per species is very low at present in almost all the cases. We have to go quick for conserving species and their population size for still there is possibility of keeping the ecosystems 'rich in biodiversity'. This value of biodiversity could be utilized for the benefit of the nation.
Forest resources: As resource, services of forest are uniquely important. Among the range of services the most significant ones are ecotourism, watershed protection, protective and habitat functions of mangroves, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity conservation. Forest is the source of wood energy. Woodfuels are a basic need for more than 2 billion people in the Asia-Pacific region only. While woodfuels' share of total energy use is declining, in many countries wood energy is still largely considered a traditional “poor people's fuel.” The forest is also the source of industrial forest products. Only in the region of Asia-Pacific about 280 million cubic metres of industrial roundwood is produced annually. Beyond all the above, the forest is directly used as “forest and tree resources”. They are different types of services of forests, socio-cultural roles and nature-based ecotourism, agricultural services, watershed services, carbon sequestration, conservation of wildlife habitats and biological diversity values.
Genetic resources: Genetic resource is the key functional point of origin of all natural and modified bio resources. Genetic resources are used in the field of variability to protect biodiversity as well as environment by utilizing biotechnological application. The subject biotechnology and its application are not new, but recent developments in the biotechnological tools and their application have opened up wide opportunities to boost agriculture, medicine, livestock production, forestry, fisheries, health and nutrition as well as management and protection of environment. This frontier technology can provide substantial benefits to the society in a wide range of sectors for improving the quality of life.
Wildlife resources: The concern for wildlife is, however, the concern for man himself. All forms of life -- human, animal and plant -- are so closely interlinked that disturbance in one gives rise to imbalance in the others. Producers, consumers and decomposers are linked together in food chains. Disruption of any particular link in the chain may lead to imbalance which may threaten the existence of man himself. Nature maintains this vast diversity of animals and plants in a complex organization in which various life processes of production, consumption and disposal of waste are maintained in well balanced cycles.
Aquatic (riverine, marine and estuarine) resources: Water is essential for life on Earth. The ocean fuels the water cycle. It supplies oil, minerals, energy, much of oxygen, and 15% of our dietary protein. Minerals are scarce in much of the open ocean, so most of the phytoplankton, and the world's major fisheries, lie on continental shelves that receive minerals washed down the rivers. Other fisheries lie in parts of the open ocean where upwelling currents carry minerals up from the bottom. Coral reefs are among the most productive of all ecosystems, and they have a diversity of life forms rivaled only by the tropical rain forest. Many prized commercial fishes are inhabitants not of the open ocean but of reefs. Rocky shore supports much more life than a sandy one.
Coastal wetlands include mangrove swamp, found in tropical and subtropical regions, and salt marsh. These wetlands are hatcheries and nurseries of many important species of marine life. Most experts believe that the oceans could sustain an annual harvest of 100 million tons, but this would require better management than we have so far achieved.
The coastal area of Bangladesh is estimated as 710km long. The country's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is 14,0915sq km and the estimated total marine water area is 1,66,066sq km. and it is uniquely endowed with a wide variety of economically important coastal resources. Bangladesh has a vast network of rivers numbering about 230, about 24,000 km in length and covering an area of 9,380 sq km (6.5% of the total area of the country). Most of the major rivers have linkage with the estuary and finally meet the Bay of Bengal. Fish is the most important fauna of these rivers and considerable number of fishermen depend on river fishing for their livelihood. Bangladesh has one of the largest mangrove eco-systems in the world which also provides a valuable physical habitat for a variety of important coastal species. Fish in the estuaries and the sea constitute a major coastal resource. Unfortunately, reliable data and information on standing stock, potential yield etc. are lacking.
Conclusion: Bangladesh is rich in wide variety of flora and fauna as compared to the rest of the world: Five thousand flowering plants; 199 mammals; 567 birds; 120 reptiles; 734 amphibians. Besides, we have large number of unidentified flora and fauna. Bangladesh is uniquely endowed with natural resources. So, it is highly necessary to conserve both renewable and non-renewable natural resources for the sake of present and future generations. Management of both renewable and non-renewable resource has to be given top priority. Under the circumstances, any writer may like to suggest the following:
* Comprehensive survey needs to be made to know the exact status of the natural resources. This will help in management of the resources and in promoting environment friendly activities in development intervention.
* Preserving, protecting and developing the natural resource are the main tools for sustainable development. As such promoting participatory, community based environmental resource management and environmental protection; ensuring active participation activities; strengthening the capabilities of public and private sector to address environmental issues; conserving non-renewable resources and sustaining auto eco-generation of renewable resources; promoting sustainable environment management in pursuit of quality livelihood and alleviation of poverty should be undertaken.

Dr MA Bashar is Professor, Department of Zoology and Ex-Dean, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Dhaka.