Story | 06 Jul, 2018
Bangladesh shares World Heritage experience with Thailand in South-South knowledge transfer
From 2 to 6 April 2018, Mangroves for the Future (MFF), in collaboration with IUCN Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Embassy in Bangkok, brought nine delegates from the Thailand Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) to the Sundarbans Natural World Heritage Site (NWHS) in Bangladesh. The…
Blog | 20 Jun, 2018
Blog: Communities, Conservation, and Livelihoods: A Win-Win Situation
CEESP News -- Indu Kumari, Wildlife Trust of India
The communities living on the fringes of protected forests are considered exploiters by some, while others feel that they are victims. The latter view holds that they had been living in harmony with nature for centuries but are now being…
Story | 12 Jun, 2018
Common pool: Equitable water governance brings prosperity to Sabkhali
The Sundarbans, a vast forest in the coastal region of the Bay of Bengal, are considered one of the natural wonders of the world. Lying adjacent is Sabkhali, a largely agricultural village, highly vulnerable to climate change and tidal surges, salt water intrusion, and waterlogging. The area is…
Story | 10 Apr, 2018
Local women's group trained in community nursery management in Uttarakhand, India
On 8 February 2018, IUCN, along with the Uttaranchal Youth and Rural Development Centre (UYRDC), a local NGO, organised a training session on nursery management for the Women’s Self Help Group ‘Jagdamba’ in the Bhadakoti hamlet of Chamoli District, Uttarakhand, India. The training aimed to…
Story | 29 Mar, 2018
Cookstoves for forest conservation in Teknaf, Bangladesh
Teknaf Wildlife Sanctuary is crucial habitat for many species, but until recently, the forests of the peninsula and the mangroves along the bank of Naf River were the only sources of fuel wood for the nearby villages. The increased prevalence of wood cutting resulted…
Story | 30 May, 2017
Tanguar Haor: A wetland in the hands of the people
After almost a century of exclusive ownership by wealthy elites, Tanguar Haor is finally back in the hands of the people who rely on it. A 10-year initiative of the government of Bangladesh, supported by IUCN and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, has recently drawn to a close.…
Blog | 03 May, 2017
Blog: Environment, Gender and Bangladesh
IUCN’s Environment and Gender Information (EGI) platform provides evidence and knowledge to guide action toward women’s empowerment and gender equality in environmental spheres. Based on recent EGI dataset (2015−2017), this article analyses gender mainstreaming in the environmental sector of…
Blog | 05 Apr, 2017
Blog: Tanguar Haor − The Beginning of a New Era
From 2006 to 2016, the Government of Bangladesh, with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and IUCN, has managed Tanguar Haor, a Ramsar site, together with local communities. Just recently, the government has decided to continue to support the co-…
Story | 19 Oct, 2016
Social Empowerment: Foundation for effective governance of natural resources
More than 400,000 people living near the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans in Bangladesh depend on forests for their livelihoods. Unfortunately, the health, wellbeing and quality of life of these people are often affected by recurring cyclones and poorly managed natural resources.…
Story | 04 Sep, 2016
Meet the Heritage Hero voted by the public – Bibhuti Lahkar
The public has spoken, choosing Bibhuti Lahkar as the people’s choice Heritage Hero, for his dedication to the conservation of India’s Manas Wildlife Sanctuary. The result of last week’s online voting was announced at the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress in Hawai‘i, USA.