| Abstract |
The Sundarbans of Bangladesh are already experiencing the ecological effects of global climate change and declining freshwater supplies: seawater is encroaching farther into the mangrove forest and sedimentation is increasing in areas of key biological importance. At the same time, freshwater cetaceans in Bangladesh are threatened by increasing incidental kills, primarily from entanglement in gillnets but also from long lines and trawl fisheries. The Government of Bangladesh (GoB) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) seek to ensure the protection of freshwater cetaceans while concurrently safeguarding the well-being of local fishermen who depend on the same aquatic resources. The project will strengthen an existing national system of protected areas, promote participation, equity and benefit sharing within the context of protecting threatened species and a vulnerable aquatic ecosystem, establish a sustainable program of enabling activities including capacity building, policy support, awareness raising, and targeted research, and provide a rigorous mechanism for assessment and monitoring in support of management goals. |
