Resources for Sustainable Development
14.2 Status of SDG14 in Bangladesh
Marine protected areas are designed to protect critical resources (both biotic and abiotic) in order to preserve them in-situ for the benefit of the future generations. Bangladesh recognises the value of ocean resources and has established a total of 38 protected areas in Bangladesh of which eight are coastal and marine protected areas.
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Bangladesh has 710 km-long coastline starting from the Sundarbans to the island of St. Martin. St.
Martin Island is a hotspot of critical ecosystem with corals on its south and west coasts, and a turtle breeding ground it is the only coral community located on the east coast in association with high diversity and moderate density of marine algae and mollusks. Sundarbans, on the other hand, is a hotspot for protection of the Royal Bengal Tigers, and saline crocodiles.
Bangladesh has been producing more than 626,000 tons (in 2015-16) of fish from the marine areas as against 3,251,000 tons from inland resources. It shows that Bangladesh’s ability to capture deep sea resources is still very limited. In addition, it has not yet developed strategies to extract oil and gas from its deep-sea reserves. Locally known as Ilish, the fish has been designated as the national fish of Bangladesh. In 2017 it has been patented as a GI for Bangladesh by the Patent Authority. It is one of the major marine fish in Bangladesh and accounts for nearly 16 per cent of the total fish catch.
Indicator 14.5.1 Coverage of protected areas in relation to marine areas
Table 14.1 gives the existing protected areas in Bangladesh which are located in the coastal districts of Bangladesh and in the Bay of Bengal. Table 14.2 shows how marine protected areas (MPAs) in Bangladesh are growing over time which reflect a steady growth. The jump in 2014 occurred when the government declared 4 zones in the Bay of Bengal as a part of the MPAs.
Table 14.1: Coverage of Marine Protected Areas
Time period
The government has established the country’s first marine protected area ‘the Swatch of No Ground Marine Protected Area’ in October 2014 to protect whales, dolphins, turtles, sharks, and other marine animals under the Bangladesh Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, 2012. Another area in the ‘Middle Ground and South Patches’ of Bay of Bengal, has been declared under the Marine Fisheries Ordinance 1983 together comprise 243,600 hectares (see Table 14.2) constituting 2.05 per cent of the total marine area of 11,881,300 hectares (118,813 sq. km) of Bangladesh. If the area protected during the spawning season of Hilsa fish is included, then the protected area rises to 7.94 per cent. The target is to reach a 10 per cent level by 2030.
Table 14.2: List of Marine Protected Areas in Bangladesh
Year of Establishment Location Area in ha Name of the PA
1980 Cox's Bazar 1729 Himchhari NP
1981 Bhola 40 Char Kukrimukri WS
1983 Cox's Bazar 11614.57 Teknaf WS
1996 Khulna 36970.45 Sundarban South WS
2001 Noakhali 16352.23 Nijhum Dweep NP
2004 Cox's Bazar 395.92 Medha-Kachchhapia WS
2007 Cox's Bazar 1302.42 Fashiakhali WS
2010 Chattogram 4716.57 Dudpukuria-Dhopachhari WS
2010 Patuakhali 1613 Kuakata NP
2012 Patuakhali 560 Sonar Char WS
2014 Bay of Bengal 243600 Swatch of No Ground park (4
zones) Source: Chowdhury, 2015
Indicator 14.7.1 Sustainable fisheries as a proportion of GDP in small island developing States, least developed countries and all countries
This indicator measures the value of sustainable fisheries. Fisheries and aquaculture offer ample opportunities to alleviate poverty, hunger and malnutrition, generate economic growth and ensure better use of natural resources. As per NAW (2018), Bangladesh has sustainable fisheries valued at 3.14 per cent of the total GDP. It has decreased compared with the base year 2015 when the value was 3.29 per cent of the total GDP.
Indicator 14.c.1 Number of countries making progress in ratifying, accepting and implementing through legal, policy and institutional frameworks, ocean-related instruments that implement international law, as reflected in the United Nation Convention on the Law of the Sea, for the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans and their resources
As per the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2019), Bangladesh has ratification of or accession to 100 ocean-related instruments that implement international law, as endorsed by the United Nations.
The Convention on the Law of the Sea relates to the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans and their resources. Moreover, Bangladesh has implemented around 90 ocean related instruments.
14.3 Government Efforts
Sustainable use of ocean resources is one of the priorities of Bangladesh because it is still under-exploited and with advent of technologies, there is a growing competition to use ocean resources. It is a reservoir for future supplier of food, protecting the climate – a great carbon sink, providing energy resources, minerals and also supplier of medical care. It is essential for Bangladesh to ensure that it is not polluted but protected and that its resources can be used sustainably. In 2014, Bangladesh hosted a conference in Dhaka on the theme of developing a blue economy with partnership around the Bay of Bengal. In addition, Bangladesh is also part of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)
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with the objective to strengthen cooperation and dialogue to promote sustainable and a balanced growth within the Indian Ocean Region.
Oceans and seas are the source of a huge variety of life forms including macro and micro-organisms.
Bangladesh attaches great importance to living marine resources which have huge potential for developing new food, biochemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and bio-energy applications.
Bangladesh has high potential to electricity generation from the offshore wind by using turbines.
Coral reefs are not only eye-catching, but rich in marine biota and endowed with subsidence to coastal people. Coral reefs are serene of mostly calcium carbonate (caco3). In general, more than 50 per cent of calcium carbonates of coral reefs are contributed by algae. It consists of corals, their skeletons and reef as fundamental ingredients. The marine sciences institute, Chittagong--have isolated 13 genera of corals including several species of fish and algae. The St. Martin’ s Island supports 85 species of birds, 12 species of mammals, more than 20 species of reptiles and 4 species of amphibians.
The Bay of Bengal is full of fisheries resources. The government policies aim to easily access the benefits from utilising fisheries resources from the sea. Marine fisheries contribute at least 20 per cent of the total fish production in Bangladesh and more than 500,000 people are fully and directly dependent on the sector.
In terms of salt manufacture, Bangladesh produces salt by using small refinery units. The quantity of production is inadequate. Production of industrial salt can be undertaken using advanced technologies and eventually it can emerge as an export product. Natural resources particularly, minerals--copper, magnesium, nickel and precious metals, including cobalt are available in the seabed in Bangladesh. Through exploring these mineral resources, industrial raw materials may be supplied to different industries. The government is taking different steps to exploit all potentials from the available sea resources.
14.4 Key Challenges
The biggest challenge of managing protecting areas in Bangladesh is the pressure of population on its protected area both in terms of recreation use as well as intrusion inside these areas. Monitoring the marine protected areas is also a major challenge for Bangladesh due to resource limitations.
Total sea area of Bangladesh is 118,813 square km which is similar to the size of Bangladesh. As such, Bangladesh needs international cooperation to monitor the area using automatic identifier system (AIS) based technologies. The implementation of Ilish catch-ban for 65 days in a year is also a challenge given 433 km long stretch of several rivers in the coastal areas of Bangladesh.
Besides, ocean science needs to adopt a holistic approach towards understanding and addressing cumulative impacts of various threats such as climate change, acidification, pollution, coastal erosion, sedimentation and erosion and overfishing. Ocean research or related services and acquisition of sufficient credible scientific data and information are weak in Bangladesh mainly due to high cost.
Technical education in marine related fields is also inadequate.
Another major challenge for Bangladesh is river water pollution and survival of riverine life.
Bangladesh has about 230 small and large rivers, and a large chunk of the country’s 165 million
people depend on them for a living and for transportation. But many of them are drying up or are choked because of pollution and encroachment. A World Bank study reports that four major rivers near Dhaka city— the Buriganga, Shitalakhya, Turag and Balu — receive 1.5 million cubic metres of waste water every day from 7,000 industrial units in surrounding areas and another 0.5 million cubic meters from other sources. Unabated encroachment that prevents the free flow of water, dumping of medicinal waste and waste of river passengers has compounded the problem, making the water unusable for humans and livestock. The water of the Buriganga is now so polluted that all fish have died, and increasing filth and human waste have turned it like a black gel. Even rowing across the river is difficult as it smells so badly. However, the plight of the Buriganga symbolises the general state of many rivers in Bangladesh, a large flat land criss-crossed by hundreds of rivers which faces an uphill battle to keep them navigable and their waters safe for human and aquatic lives. The government has taken measures to combat waste disposal and secure the rivers from the illegal encroachers.
14.5 Way Forward
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing represents a major threat to sustainable sea fishing. In 2016, the Port State Measures Agreement entered into force as an international treaty.
The Agreement recognises the special requirements of developing states such as Bangladesh and includes provisions to establish funding mechanisms for implementation. These mechanisms are intended to be directed towards developing and enhancing capacity for monitoring, control and surveillance and compliance activities relevant to port state measures, as well as training for port managers, inspectors and enforcement and legal personnel.
The Blue Growth Initiative, launched at the initiative of FAO in 2013, prioritises sustainable management of natural aquatic resources, fully taking into consideration environmental, social and economic needs. Blue Growth emphasises efficient resource use in capture fisheries and aquaculture, ecosystem services, trade, livelihoods and food systems. The approach minimises environmental degradation, biodiversity loss and the unsustainable use of resources, while maximising the economic and social benefits that build strong communities. The approach also aims at creating an enabling environment for workers involved in fisheries and aquaculture, and those workers along the entire seafood value chain, to act not only as resources users, but also to play an active role in protecting and safeguarding these natural resources for the benefit of future generations.
The activities undertaken by Bangladesh to achieve SDG14 and to mainstream Blue Growth into national policies and programmes are important steps towards conserving the country’s ocean resources and strengthening coastal communities.
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14.6 Summary
Bangladesh has successfully expanded its marine protected area significantly with the introduction of four zones around the Swatch of No Grounds in the Bay of Bengal. Monitoring and implementation of this vast area to ensure conservation of resources and also to catch illegal fishing vessels in these zones require significant resources. This is also true for the Ilish sanctuaries. However, most of the country’s fishing communities are artisanal fishers and so they stay for fishing near the coasts.
With thousands for small fishing boats catching fish along the coasts of Bangladesh, there is a need to develop social safety nets for these fishing communities during the period when they are not allowed to catch fishes.
Further, the importance of international cooperation in addressing the ocean’s issues, including through compliance with the UNCLOS framework, through regional agreements, and through strengthening existing frameworks, such as the negotiations for biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ); ocean governance as a critical means to sustain peace, maritime security, and friendly relations among nations, including through greater coordination of activities in the areas of fisheries, offshore energy, tourism, and shipping; fishery-related issues and the need to strengthen regulatory frameworks for harvesting and addressing overfishing and IUU fishing are important for Bangladesh n the context of SDG14.