Community Based Sustainable Management of Tanguar Haor Program2

Community Based Sustainable Management of Tanguar Haor (Phase 2) The Tanguar Haor is located in the Sunamganj District (North-East of Bangladesh). It includes a unique ecosystem, supporting 150 varieties of fishes, more than 100 resident birds and around 200 species of wetland flora. It is the breeding ground for fish which is an essential resource for food security and economic development in the entire region. The Tanguar Haor is highly important for the livelihoods of 88 villages adjacent to the perimeter supporting about 56’000 people.
The objectives of the Second Phase :
A co-management system is established and functional for conservation, stabilisation and sustainable use of the natural resources of Tanguar Haor that generates opportunities for significant improvements in the livelihoods in the rural communities of the Haor area.

How does the project work:

The main approach of the project is a co-management system, run by the 3 key actors (share-holders):

a) the State, represented by MoEF (Ministry of Environment & Forest)
b) Local Governments
c) the Communities in the Tanguar Haor

50 village groups and 4 Union ad hoc Committees (UACs) were created in order to represent the communities in the co-management discussions with the Tanguar Haor Management Committee which is chaired by the District Commissioner of Sunamganj.

Expected Outcomes
• Communities have the capacity to negotiate, manage and use the natural resources for better livelihood, addressing specifically the needs of poorest and women.
• A well functioning co-management body composed of the state, local government and communities manages the Tanguar Hoar following the wise use principle of Ramasar.
• Policy support is established at the national, regional and local level for up-scaling and for ensuring the long-term sustainability of the co-management system for Tanguar Haor.
Whom do we work with :

Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) of the Government of Bangladesh is the principle executing agency; it delegated the implementation of the project to the Bangladesh office of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The Swiss Foundation for Development and International Cooperation / Intercooperation (IC) supports the project as backstopper in the area of community mobilisation and market approaches. Two local NGOs are mandated by IUCN with the implementation at field levels, and the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) works on the establishment of the legal frame for the co-management system.

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN):

The World Conservation Union is the world largest and most important conservation network. It supports and develops cuttingedge conservation science; links both research and results to local, national, regional and global policy by convening dialogues between governments, civil society and the private sector. In its projects, the Union applies sound ecosystem management to conserve biodiversity and builds sustainable livelihoods for those directly dependent on natural resources. SDC began partnership with IUCN Bangladesh in 2006. IUCN works on wetlands and waterbodies, Chittagong Hill Tracts and coastal and marine issues.

Intercooperation:

Intercooperation is a Swiss foundation specialised in international development cooperation. Its principal working domains are: natural resource management, rural economy, and local governance ad civil society. Intercooperation has projects in more than 20 countries, including Bangladesh. SDC has been working with Intercooperation since 2000.

Achievements:

According to a mid term review in March 2008, the project made satisfactory progress during the 1st phase (inception), it has a pro-poor focus and starts to produce benefits, employment and income opportunities to the population in the remote area of the Haor by facilitating a reasonable (sustainable) use of the natural resources.

Budget:

1.82 million Swiss Francs for the period of March 2009 to February 2012 (Phase 2).

Contacts:

IUCN Bangladesh
House 11, Road 138, Gulshan 1, Dhaka 1212
Tel : 9890395, 9890423, 9892854
E-mail : info@iucnbd.org
Website : www.iucn.org/bangladesh