Ecosystems for Life: A Bangladesh-India Initiative

Ecosystems for Life: A Bangladesh-India Initiative (E4L) aims to improve integrated management of riverine ecosystems in South Asia through dialogue, research and advocacy efforts. The joint Project Advisory Committee (PAC) oversees implementation of the E4L Initiative and acts as a bridge for the dialogue process between government and civil society at the regional level. The PAC is comprised of National Advisory Committee (NAC) members for Bangladesh and India. Each committee comprises of eight members and includes prominent professionals, legislators, diplomats, researchers and academics of high repute at the national, regional and international level. The Project Advisory Committee met for the first time on 7 February 2011 in Dhaka. Aban Marker Kabraji, Regional Director of IUCN Asia, Dr Q. K. Ahmed, Co-Chair of NAC Bangladesh, and Mr Ashok Jaitly, Co-Chair of NAC India, were nominated as Co-Chairs for the Project Advisory Committee.

Building Coastal Resilience in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand

IUCN Asia recently lauched a new project titled Building Coastal Resilience in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. The objective is to increase adaptive capacity of people and the ecosystems on which they depend to cope with the anticipated impacts of climate change and plan for DRR, through sound governance and planning. The project will strengthen the ability of local government and local people to plan for, and adapt to, future climate risks in eight coastal provinces between Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok. The project will identify best practices being developed by local people and provide opportunities for communities in different parts of the coastline to learn from each other. The project will use top-down and bottom-up approaches to ensure policy messages are disseminated at all levels. Networking, study visits, and an annual forum will be used to share knowledge with the other 12 provinces that make up the coastal corridor between Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok.
 

Going nuts about forests

In Laos, the sustainable harvesting of medicinal seeds from the native malva nut tree is helping to improve both the lives of local people and the state of the region’s forests. Through its Livelihoods and Landscapes initiative, IUCN is working to strengthen the management of these forests and wetlands in the face of increasing demand for land and resources. The project aims to boost the incomes of the poor population by improving land-use management and marketing systems. Now, local access rights to the malva nut, which were already defined, are being enforced and in target villages. The management system has helped villagers take ownership of their resources while furthering their understanding of the harvesting cycles of malva nut and the importance of protecting their natural resources. Much still needs to be done however to overcome marketing constraints that work against local people.

Policy work on riparian issues in Pakistan

Effectively managing shared water resources is critical for Pakistan’s sustainable development. IUCN Pakistan undertook a study on the issues and options for the upper and lower riparian of the Indus River. Based on this and several other studies, four policy briefs have been prepared:

• Indus Water Treaty and Managing Shared Water Resources for the Benefit of Basin States
• Beyond Indus Water Treaty: Groundwater and Environmental Management
• Towards Kabul Water Treaty: Managing Shared Water Resources
• Pakistan Water Apportionment Accord for Resolving Inter-provincial Water Conflicts

Freshwater species at risk in Eastern Himalaya development surge

Water resource and transport infrastructure development in the Eastern Himalaya region is expanding at a rapid rate and there is a serious lack of information to guide conservation and development planning. This is putting freshwater ecosystems and the species within them at risk, along with the livelihoods and economies of local communities which they support. In a recent study for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ carried out by IUCN and Zoo Outreach Organisation (ZOO), scientists found that 31.3% of the 1,073 freshwater species of fishes, molluscs, dragonflies and damselflies currently known in the Eastern Himalaya region are assessed as Data Deficient, emphasizing the need for extensive new research.

IUCN Asia Regional Conservation Forum

The next IUCN Asia Regional Conservation Forum is scheduled to be held in Korea on 27-30 September, 2011. The Korean National Committee of IUCN and the Korean Ministry of Environment will co-host the Forum with the IUCN Asia Regional Office. The complete agenda will be shared with you in due course.  At that time, we will also seek your participation in various events and activities.  Mark your calendar!
 

Nature - Your Valentine

Valentine's Day, a day set aside for love. Save the Planet with support from IUCN Nepal and UNESCO celebrated this Valentine's Day in a different and unique way. With the theme, ‘Love the Nature’, the concept no longer just focused on people but conveying love to your loved ones through nature. The notion and the idea was simple - to attract and educate public especially youth, about nature and promote the message that loving and protecting nature is the best way to show that you care about your nearest and dearest ones.

IUCN Asia celebrates World Wetlands Day

February 2 is World Wetlands Day, an international day to raise public awareness of wetland values highlighting the importance of wetlands to community livelihoods. IUCN celebrated World Wetlands Day throughout Asia - from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and across the Mekong region.

Tanguar Haor: Portrait of a unique wetland in Bangladesh

The Tanguar Haor, in northeastern Bangladesh, is part of a wetland/floodplain complex. During the monsoon season it is entirely under water. In the dry season waters recede into the rivers and cover about 25–30% of the area. These bodies of water attract many waterfowl during the winter season and are also an important breeding ground of many species of fish. Tanguar Haor provides immediate subsistence and livelihoods to some 40,000 people residing in its periphery but the standards of living are low, and these wetlands are exploited in unsustainable ways. The Bangladesh government has introduced the concept of “wise-use” to encourage the sustainable use of the Tanguar Haor resources. IUCN Bangladesh recently published a beautiful book of photographs showing the pristine and undisturbed natural beauty of this spot, as well as its interaction with people living around it. A new video on Tanguar Haor has also been produced.

Viet Nam craft village water pollution study

The craft village industry in Viet Nam has witnessed phenomenal growth in the last 10 years. Craft villages make a major contribution to jobs and income, but they also have high occupational health risk and exposure to pollution, particularly in small-scale industries with no pollution control technology, worker protection, or wastewater treatment. To explore the barriers to improved water resources management in craft villages, IUCN commissioned a study of craft village water pollution. The study revealed that there is widespread local recognition of the environmental impacts caused by craft villages but very little progress in addressing the problem. The key finding was that laws regulating pollution and the enforcement of penalties need to be consistently and transparently enforced. The report provides recommendations to assist local communities and the government to implement environmental regulations.

This frog isn't just a frog...

Can we tell the story of the link between people and nature in 30 seconds? IUCN partnered with Dilmah Conservation on the production of this public service announcement. The spot has been released on free to air television stations across the Asia region. IUCN intends to develop local language versions of the public service announcement, to further promote its work at national levels.