Bangladesh

---

Country’s Environmental Profile

Bangladesh is surrounded by India in the West, North and Northeast and by Myanmar on the Southeast with the Bay of Bengal in the South providing a gateway to the oceans of the world. It enjoys the sub-tropical monsoon climate regime characterized by high temperatures, heavy rainfall and excessive humidity with marked seasonal variations.

The Country is endowed with a unique natural resource base. About 80% of the country consists of floodplains and wetlands with over 300 rivers in the riverine network that sustains rare wildlife, flora and fauna. There are diverse ecological systems in the country ranging from the unique mangrove forests of the SundarbansSundarbans www.sunderbans-national-park.com/ in the Southwest to coastal and marine ecosystems in the deep South; deep natural water basins called “haors’ and “baors” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haor in the Northeast which remain inundated for half of the year and has a unique but changing ecology; arid area in the upper mid-section to hill tracts in the Southeast and flat sandy or marshy riverine deltas in the middle down to South.

The country has more than 700 kms of coastline in the South along the bay of Bengal with a population of over 35 million who are most vulnerable to cyclones, tidal surges and salinity ingress. Coastal Estuaries and wetlands are rich in fisheries and other biodiversity resources.

Bangladesh has limited natural forest cover, at about 10 percent of land area, down from 20 percent in the 1960s, and almost all of that area is now seriously degraded, as a result of extreme population pressure for fuel wood and other forest products. Major Forest types found in the country are Tropical Green forests, Semi evergreen forest, Deciduous Forests, Mangroves forests and homestead forests.

The country supports good floral and faunal biodiversity which includes 4,061 species of vascular plants, 653 species of fishes, 34 species of amphibians, 154 species of reptiles,650 species of birds,121 species of mammals. Among them are some of the internationally significance species such as Asian Elephant, Royal Bengal Tiger, Gharial (Crocodile), Gigantic Dolphin, Black Bengal Goat and different species of sea turtles.

Principal Environmental Laws

• The Environment Policy and Action Plan (1992)
• The Bangladesh Environmental Conservation Act (1995)
• Environmental Protection Regulations (1998)
• Bangladesh Environment protection law
• The Forest Act of 1927
• The Environment Policy and Action Plan (1992)
• The National Fisheries Strategy and Inland Capture Fisheries Strategy (2006)
• The Jalmohal Management Policy (2009)
• The Bangladesh Wildlife (Preservation) Order of 1973
• The Protection and Conservation of Fish Act, 1950,
• Conservation, Restoration and Filling Control Act of 2003
• Bangladesh Biodiversity Act, 2012
• Climate Change Trust Act, 2010,

Environmental Related Reports

• 2010 Bangladesh Environment Sector Assessment and Strategic Analysis – Final Report:
• Bangladesh National Action Plan (NAP) for Reducing Short Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCPs)
• Bangladesh National Implementation Plan (NIP) For Management of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
• Air Pollution Reduction Strategy for Bangladesh Final Report
• National 3R Strategy for Waste Management
• Bangladesh Environment & Climate Change Outlook 2012
• Rio+Bangladesh National Report on Sustainable Development May 2012
• Bangladesh State of the Environment. 2001

Major Environmental Issues:

• Air pollution,
• Water pollution,
• Land Degradation,
• Floods, cyclones, tidal surges and salinity ingress,,
• Deterioration of the quantity and quality of its natural resources: soil, forests and fisheries,

Important Web sites

1. Bangladesh Government website
2. Department of Environment
3. Forest Department
4. Ministry of Agriculture
5. Department of Agricultural Extension
6. Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief
7. Department Of Disaster Management
8. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare