biodiversity conservation and floating gardening
TRANSCRIPT
Biodiversity
Conservation and
Floating Gardening
Dr. Haseeb Md. Irfanullah
IUCN Bangladesh
Training and Knowledge Sharing on GIAHS,
14 Sep 2015, BARC, DHAKA
Photo: IUCN
What make floating gardens so
attractive?
• Simple
• Natural
• Traditional
• Control over water!
Photo: Haseeb Md. Irfanullah
Floating Gardens: What do they remind us?
Tradition Food Security Water
hyacinth
Adaptation
Livelihoods Agriculture Climate
change
Invasive
species
Heritage Seedlings Romance Markets
NRM Environment Community Culture
Wetland Fascinating Southern
Bangladesh
Income
Research Ecosystem Biodiversity Organic
Floating Gardens: In 1 or 2 words!
Outline
• Biodiversity
• IUCN
• Floating gardening
and biodiversity
• Climate change
• Some thoughts
Biodiversity of Bangladesh
• Late1990s
• 4 trips to north-east
• 1 acidic shallow lake;
1 hilly stream
• 120 algal samples
• 421 algal taxa
• 130 new record for
Bangladesh
• 3 new to science
Bio-Ecological Zones
of Bangladesh
Biodiversity status of Bangladesh
Plant groupNumber of species described
World (estimated) Bangladesh (observed)
Virus/Bacteria 8,050 470
Algae 40,800 c 2,000
Fungi 90,000 275
Lichen 13,500 51
Bryophytes 14,500 248
Pteridophytes 12,000 195
Gymnosperms 650 7
Angiosperms 250,000 3,723
Source: 5th National Report to CBD (2015, in press)
Biodiversity status
Animal groupNumber of species described
World Bangladesh
Protozoa 31,250 175
Porifera 5,000 29
Cnidaria 10105 102
Ctenophora 100 10
Rotifera 2,500 76
Gastrotricha 3,000 4
Platyhelminthes 17,511 126
Nematoda 30,028 176
Mollusca 66,535 479
Echinodarmata 6600 46+
Arthropoda 1,181,398 5000+
Pisces (fish) 32,120 475 (marine)
267 (freshwater)
Amphibia 6,771 49
Reptilia (reptiles) 9,230 154
Aves (birds) 9,026 650
Mammalia (mammals) 5,416 128
But, ….
…… environmental priorities are in constant fight with other
major development priorities to ensure human rights and basic
services for the citizens of Bangladesh.
Biodiversity versus
Food security – for 160 million people
Poverty – 30% are still below poverty line
Water – too much, too little
Disasters – floods, cyclones
Energy – 50% are without modern energy
Gender – 65% child marriage
Education – 52% literacy
Urbanization – 30% live in towns
Governance – challenges
Aspiration – becoming middle-income country by 2021
Commitments & Plans
• Convention on
Biological Diversity
• Cartagena Protocol
• Aichi Biodiversity
Targets 2020
• MDG
• Sustainable
Development Goals
(2016-2030)
• National Biodiversity
Strategy and Action
Plan (2004)
(updating)
• Bangladesh Climate
Change Strategy and
Action Plan (2009)
• Vision 2021
SDG and Biodiversity
International Union for
Conservation of Nature
Conserving biodiversity
Pioneering nature’s solutions to global challenges
WHO WE ARE
Founded in 1948, IUCN is the world’s largest global
environmental organization.
• A unique democratic Union with more than 1,200
State and NGO Member organizations in 160
countries.
• The leading provider of the latest knowledge about
biodiversity, with more than 11,000 experts and
scientists.
• The only environmental organisation with official
Observer Status at the United Nations General
Assembly.
OUR UNION
Council
Members Commissions
Secretariat
Steering
Committees
& Specialist
Groups
Regional &
National
Committees
OUR VISION, OUR MISSION
Influence, encourage and assist societies
throughout the world to conserve the
integrity and diversity of nature and to
ensure that any use of natural resources is
equitable and ecologically sustainable.
A just world that values and conserves nature
WHAT WE DO
We help governments, communities, NGOs and the private
sector develop environmental laws, policies and best practice.
Action
Influence
Knowledge
We provide the latest science and knowledge on ecosystems
and biodiversity and their contribution to human well-being.
We run hundreds of field projects around the world to better
manage natural environments.
Valuing and conserving nature
OUR PRIORITIES: 2013-2016
Science and knowledge about biodiversity, the threats it faces and
measures to conserve it guide action on the ground.
Effective and equitable governance of
nature’s use
We all depend on nature. Healthy nature is essential for the
growth and prosperity of our societies.
Nature-based solutions to global challenges
Nature can play a key role in tackling climate change and ensuring
food, energy and water security.
IUCN in Bangladesh
1972 GoB joined IUCN as a
State Member
1989 Started operation in
Bangladesh with the
formulation of the National
Conservation Strategy
1992 A full fledged country
office was established in
Bangladesh
1992 MoU convening the
establishment of a Country
Office was signed between
GoB and IUCN
IUCN Bangladesh
works through:
1) Member
organizations
(GoB + 21 national
leading NGOs);
2) 90+ Commission
members
3) 60+ Staff members
(Secretariat)
Threatened Species
Elephant Conservation
Gharial Conservation
Vulture Conservation
Batagur baska conservation
Wetland biodiversity monitoring
EIA of Jamuna riverbank improvement
Coastal afforestation monitoring
NBSAP updating
Study on CBA-ECA project
Marine Protected Area
Tanguar Haor
Floating gardening
Climate change negotiation
Avian influenza
Mangrove for the Future
Floating gardening and
biodiversity
Adaptive or Sensitive to
Climate Change?
Unpredictable
rainfall
Long dry
spells
Reduced water in
wetlands
Less/ young
water hyacinth
Floating
gardening
Heavy rainfall
Intense, frequent
floods
Salinity intrusion
Less / no
water hyacinth
Less / no
floating gardens
Production loss
Destruction of floating gardens
Less / no
floating gardens
©Haseeb Md. Irfanullah
Innovation for adaptation:
the missing points
• In-built limitations of the technology
• ‘Innovation-evaluation-diffusion cycle’ ignored
• Project-based charity versus business model
• Failures not appreciated
• Research overlooked
• Gaps among policy-practice-research
GIAHS: Floating Gardening
Remarkable land use systems and landscapes which are
rich in globally significant biological diversity evolving from
the co-adaptation of a community with its environment and
its needs and aspirations for sustainable development.
Local community
Global significance-
IPCC
Co-evolution
Sustainable Development
Social benefits
Cultural
Economic benefits
Smallholders
Rural development
Sustainable agriculture
Environmental
service
Biodiversity richness
Final thoughts
• We need to look for nature-based solutions to
tackle global challenges – food insecurity,
climate change
• Floating gardening is a very good example of
ecosystem-based adaptation
• We need to focus on research on floating
gardening to improve our understanding and
encourage innovations
• This will strengthen floating gardening’s scope
to become a global adaptation option
References1. Haq et al., 2002. Soil-less Agriculture in Bangladesh. 111 pp.
2. IUCN Bangladesh, 2005. Baira: the Floating Gardens for Sustainable Livelihood. 61 pp.
3. Islam and Atkins, 2007. Indigenous floating cultivation: a sustainable agricultural
practice in the wetlands of Bangladesh. Development in Practice 17:130-136.
4. Irfanullah et al., 2008. Introduction of floating gardening in the north-eastern wetlands of
Bangladesh for nutritional security and sustainable livelihood. Renewable Agriculture
and Food Systems 23:89-96.
5. Irfanullah, 2009. Floating gardening in Bangladesh: Already affected by climate
variability? In: IUCN, UNEP, UNU. Biodiversity Conservation and Response to Climate
Variability at Community Level. 7-14 pp.
6. Irfanullah et al., 2011. Floating gardening in Bangladesh: a means to rebuild lives after
devastating flood. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge 10:31-38.
7. Irfanullah, 2013. Floating Gardening: a local lad becoming a climate celebrity? Clean
Slate 88:26-27.
8. Irfanullah, H.Md. 2013. Romancing the floating garden. AlertNet Climate, Thomson
Reuters Foundation, 29 Aug 2013.
9. Irfanullah, 2013. The ‘moving sown fields’: Anyone interested? SILnews 63:22-23.
10. UNEP, 2014. Adaptation Technologies: Bangladesh, Floating Gardens. [This case study
is based on Haseeb Irfanullah’s presentation in ‘Regional Training Workshop on Climate
Adaptation Technologies’ organized by UNEP, IIED and ICCCAD, Dhaka, 9-12 Apr
2014.]
