Sustainable Environment Management Programme (SEMP)

The purpose of the reports is to; a) improve the existing, and develop new income generating opportunities with local communities; b) improve existing, and develop ways to manage (use, protect, enhance) natural resources; c) facilitate, train and strengthen existing institutions; d) promote and undertake new institutional structures that improve sustainable utilization, management and conservation of natural resources.

The loss of plants from floodplain ecosystems have resulted in further degradation of other ecological functions. To stop and reverse this trend, massive plantation programmes were carried out at three floodplain sites: Padma-Jamuna, Brahmaputra-Shitalakshya and Madhumati Floodplain. The overall objective being to increase native tree coverage and enhance productivity by establishing plantations through people’s participation. The report shows how this was accomplished.

Wetlands in Bangladesh are going through a difficult phase caused by exponential degradation and destruction of these ecosystems and dwindling of their valuable resources. Plant resources are more vulnerable due to over-harvesting and unwise exploitation. Sustainable plant resource management and conservation of the local flora have to be linked together to provide greater livelihood security for the rural people, especially the poor ones, who depend upon plants for food, fodder, agricultural and household implements, medicine, as well as recreation and entertainment.

This book primarily based on observation made during field trips to different haors and floodplains in the SEMP project areas by plant experts, IUCNB staff and partner NGOs. Experience and ideas of the local communities of these wetlands were also considered while preparing the manuscript. Some of the information has been drawn from existing published and unpublished accounts. This book will provide a guideline for future wetland plant resource conservation and management.

The participatory land-use survey report is a major baseline activity of the Community Base Haor Resource Management Project. The survey was done in Pagnar and Sanuar-Dakuar haors. The objectives of this report are to promote local community participation in development projects, and collection and recording of topographical, ecological, economic, social and demographic information about the target areas, on the basis of which, analysis of impacts of the livelihood strategies and the economic activities on local resources has been carried out.

The present report compiles the awareness raising initiatives take under the Community Based Floodplain Resource Management Project, a component of the SEMP. It details out the justification of such interventions, approaches considered and chosen activities to enhance people’s awareness level at the project areas in the floodplains. A number of recommendations are also suggested to make the initiative more participatory and effective in attaining the targeted impacts.