'Demarcate areas to protect marine biodiversity'
Discussants at a workshop yesterday suggested the government to demarcate and declare some coastal and maritime areas as “Marine Protected Areas” to avoid overfishing and protect the biodiversity of those areas.
The areas should be demarcated immediately as the rapid growth of population is putting tremendous pressure on the marine resources and biodiversity of coastal areas, they said.
The workshop, “Identification of potential marine protected areas and relevant stakeholders”, was organised by Bangladesh chapter of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) at the capital's Brac Centre Inn auditorium.
Presiding over the inaugural session, IUCN Bangladesh Country Representative Ishtiaq Uddin Ahmad said coordinated efforts are essential for effective coastal management and improvement of coastal people's livelihoods.
He also suggested taking lessons from countries having expertise and experience in coastal management to effectively protect the country's coastal resources.
Dr Abul Hossain, dean of faculty of science of Noakhali Science and Technology University, presented a paper at the workshop.
In it, he projected the importance of sanctuaries in coastal areas, mangrove forests, island areas, sea beaches, continental shelves and other environmentally important areas to protect and conserve the ecosystem and for sustainable fisheries.
Due to the expansion of the maritime boundary following the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea verdict, the government must declare 1,200 square kilometres of the Bay of Bengal as “Marine Protected Area”, said IUCN Bangladesh Programme Officer Shahad Mahabub Chowdhury.
The discussants, including government officials, environmentalists and academicians, placed several recommendations such as following an appropriate methodology to identify potential “Marine Protected Areas” and formulation of a government policy to declare such areas.
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