<i>Hakaluki haor getting back bio-diversity </i>
With bio-diversity returning to Hakaluki Haor, the country's largest wetland is now teeming with birds, thanks to the initiative of Department of Environment and several NGOs.Photo: STAR
Hakaluki Haor, one of the largest wetlands in the country, is getting back its bio-diversity following various programmes implemented by the Department of Environment (DoE). The haor spreading over Kulaura, Juri, and Baralekha upazilas under Moulvibazar district and Fenchuganj and Golapganj upazilas under Sylhet district contains 235 small or large water bodies covering 45 thousand acres of wetland, was declared as ecologically critical area few years ago. Now with the growth of native aquatic plants and shrubs like koroch, borun, makna, singrai, shaluk (water-lily) etc, fishes, birds, wildlife are appearing in larger numbers, adding to the bio-diversity in the wetland. According to local people of haor bank, DoE and NGOs working there that once upon a time, With abundance of a large number of native plants and shrubs like koroch, hizol, borun, and zarul, makna, shaluk (Water lily), and singrai, Hakaluki haor area was once safe shelter to wildlife including birds, fishing cats, deer and other animals. But due to massive destruction of these plants to use them as firewood and damage to the aquatic plants and shrubs by drying up the haor beds for fishing, wildlife in Hakaluki became threatened. The Department of Environment (DoE) in 1999 declared the Hakaluki Haor as 'ecologically critical area'. The DoE took up various programmes to protect and preserve this haor while several non-government organizations (NGOs) started working there to achieve this goal. With bio-diversity of the haor returning to its original scene, nearly extinguished aquatic plants like hizal, karach, and borun trees are seen at Malam-beel, Joya-beel, Chatla-beel, Fut-beel, Kalapani and Hawa-beel of the haor. They also added that they had seen sufficient makna plant (a specie of aquatic native shrubs) in the Chatla-beel, Fut-beel and Kalapani area of the haor in last year. Besides, floating aquatic shrubs like shaluk, hatir-kan, singrai etc are increasing. DoE started programme in Hakaluki haor under 'The Coastal and Wetland Biodiversity management Project' (CWBMP) in 2005, sources at DoE office at Kulaura said. Earlier NGO Sustainable Environmental Management Project had worked there for five years. “Native aquatic shrub makna was near extinction in this haor. As we spread seeds of the shrubs in the haor in 2006 and took initiative to preserve it, huge makna shrubs appeared in 2007. Sixty thousand saplings of koroch and hizol plants have been created on 1800 acres of haor land and 60 guards have been appointed to look after them,” Abdul Malik, horticulture extension officer of the DoE said. NGOs Center for Natural Resource Study and Center for Sustainable Development are implementing the programmes with financial and technical assistance of the DoE, he said, adding that if this programme continues for five to ten years more, Hakaluki haor will go get back its past scene. “Aquatic plants and shrubs grow naturally. But their massive use as firewood by locals caused much damage to these resources in the haor. Besides fishing by leaseholders caused much damage to snails, shaluks (water-lily) and makna shrubs in the water bodies. Now gardens of hizol, borun and koroch plants have been created and we are working to create awareness among local people. Due to increasing of bio-diversity in the haor, number of fishing cats and other wild animals has also increased,” Emdad Hussain, Knowledge Management Officer of the CNRS working at Barolekha upazila said. “Ultimately the local people will have to take responsibility to protect biodiversity in the haor under a long-term planning,” Mohammed Shibli, assistant director of Coastal and Wetland Bio-diversity Project and the Managing Officer of the Ecological Critical Area said.
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