48 Ecosystem Servi ces and Sustainable Use RCE Greater Dhaka: Biodiversity Conservation Mohammed Ataur Rahman RCE Greater Dhaka RCE Greater Dhaka’s region of focus includes the Dhaka megacity and the coastal zone of Bangladesh. The RCE aims to develop understanding on sustainable development and to introduce it into educational content and practices. The Centre for Global Environmental Culture (CGEC) at the International University of Business, Agriculture and Technology is the leader of this RCE. Other partners include: Khulna University, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology Chittagong, Rotary District Greater Dhaka Club, Gono bishwa bidyalaya, WWOF Bangladesh, FEPPCAR, and Red Crescent Youth. The RCE works with educational institutions, Ministries of Education and Environment, municipal bodies, NGOs and development authorities to achieve its goal. The initial activity of the RCE was an extensive baseline study on existing sustainable development learning activities and required organisational capacity focusing on multifaceted problems such as food, water and energy crises, biodiversity loss, pollution and waste management, malnutrition, and epidemics. The study began with a special emphasis on biodiversity conservation, followed by the collection of information regarding challenges identified for sustainable development in RCE Greater Dhaka. Subsequently, discussions were held among various stakeholders to identify potential solutions. Crop diversification was selected as a major focus of intervention. Special emphasis was given to bring more species and varieties of different plants under cropping culture. Food-tree crops were also considered for supplementing nutrients. Natural defense mechanism management, traditional floodplain management, homestead farming and permaculture have been the key elements of RCE activities to enrich biodiversity, livelihoods and protection from natural disasters. Coastal area conservation was another key focus area. The RCE Greater Dhaka network has studied coastal and regional biodiversity extensively. Such study reveals that more than 34 species of tropical rainforest plants – viz. Podocarpus neriifolia, Entada phaseoloids, Magnolia pterocarpa, Buchanania lancifolia, Holigarna longifolia, Vitex peduncularis and Pterospermum semisagittatum, among others – are facing extinction (National Herbarium 2001, Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh, 2009). Animal species like cats, bear, porcupine, wild boars, pythons and anteater are rarely spotted. Among the marine and coastal species, red crabs, jellyfish, sharks and dolphins are rare, though these were the major species before 1980. The great migration of Hilsa ilisha towards Myanmar is observed but marine Hilsha used to breed in the fresh waters of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna about 100-150 kilometres inside Bangladesh. There has been a great crisis in regard to prevailing fish and aquatic resources and huge numbers of fishermen have lost their means of livelihood. The biodiversity has also been affected due to pollutants from upstream and less water flow during the dry season (Rahman 2011). There has been a great crisis in regard to prevailing fish and aquatic resources and huge numbers of fishermen have lost their means of livelihood. Project and Achievements RCE Greater Dhaka works on a variety of learning actions related to biodiversity and ecosystem services. Public Awareness Campaigns and Educational Interventions As an action strategy to create awareness about biodiversity, the RCE considered the regular commemoration of important days. The International Day for Biological Diversity was observed throughout the RCE region with awareness and practices campaigns, workshops and seminar, training, tree plantation programmes, exhibitions, the collection and propagation of rare plants, and advocacy against habitat loss and pollution, among others. These activities resulted in an increased understanding among the communities of the role of biodiversity for human well-being, as well as understanding of ecosystems functioning. Similarly, World Environment Day on 5 June 2012 was celebrated with seminars, exhibitions and tree plantation programmes. The members of the RCE Greater Dhaka network arranged their programmes with the goal of raising the significance of the Green Economy theme. 5
Traditional Knowledge and Biodiversity
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