IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature

Ecosystems for Life is organized a regional multi-stakeholder consultation on trans-boundary cooperation on flood management. The key objective of the meeting was to bring together multiple stakeholders from India and Bangladesh to the same platform for a negotiated exchange of ideas. The meeting disseminated recent findings by the joint research team on the impact of climate change and global warming on future water availability and flood behaviour.

The waterways between Bangladesh and north-eastern India provide a cheap transport means for bulk agricultural and other goods. Understanding the importance of this sector a joint research was carried out focused on sustainability of the international navigation route between Ashuganj and Karimganj in the north-eastern part of Bangladesh and India. As a next step Ecosystems for Life organized a policy dialogue on trans-boundary inland navigation to sensitize relevant stakeholders about the context and recommended policies.

A two day Strategic Dialogue on Food Security, Water Productivity and Poverty was held on 30th September to 1 October September 2012 at the Hotel Regency, Dhaka, Bangladesh.  Organized by Ecosystems for Life project, this dialogue brought together participants from Bangladesh and India including renowned experts, researchers, policy makers and civil society members were present at this meeting. 

The Trans-boundary Policy Dialogue on Hilsa Fisheries Management between Bangladesh and India on 24 July 2012 in Kolkata, India disseminated a study titled ‘The importance of migratory and spawning patterns for the conservation of Hilsa’. The study was conducted by Dhaka University, Bangladesh and Jadavpur University and Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute University (CIFRI), India.

The Ecosystems for Life: A Bangladesh-India Initiative is an IUCN led multi-stakeholder dialogue process to promote insights into trans-boundary issues across the three major river systems: Ganges, Brahmaputra and the
Meghna.

Ecosystems for Life focuses on five themes: food security, water productivity and poverty; impacts of climate change; convergence of inland navigation and integrated water resources management goals;
environmental security and biodiversity conservation. Six researches have been undertaken by Joint Research Teams (JRT) consisting of Bangladeshi and Indian researchers under each thematic area of the Initiative.

With the aim of dissemination of research findings and formulation of policy options for both countries, a daylong workshop titled ‘International Workshop on Trans-boundary Inland Navigation: Joint Research Dissemination and
Policy Dialogue’ was held on 22 March 2012 in Savar, Bangladesh.

The Ecosystems for Life: A Bangladesh-India Initiative is an IUCN led multi-stakeholder dialogue process to promote insights into trans-boundary issues across the three major river systems: Ganges, Brahmaputra and the Meghna. Ecosystems for Life focuses on five themes:
food security, water productivity and poverty; impacts of climate change; convergence of inland navigation and integrated water resources management goals; environmental security and biodiversity conservation.

Six researches have been undertaken by Joint Research Teams (JRT) consisting of Bangladeshi and Indian researchers under each thematic area of the Initiative. With the aim of dissemination of research findings and formulation of policy options for both countries, a day long workshop titled ‘International Workshop on Trans-boundary Biodiversity: Joint Research Dissemination and Policy Dialogue’ was held on 21 March 2012 in Savar, Bangladesh.

Media dialogue on trans-boundary resources management: Bangladesh and India Perspective was
organized by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) on 7 December 2011 at the Hotel Windsor Suites, Bangkok, Thailand.

Ecosystems for Life: A Bangladesh-India Initiative is a civil society led multi-stakeholder dialogue process to promote better understanding of the management of natural resources in Bangladesh and India. Ecosystems for Life works to develop a shared vision and understanding of food,livelihood and water security issues through collaborative research and studies, creation of aknowledge hub, developing research-based policy options and enhancing the capacity of civil society stakeholders to participate in the management of natural resources.

IUCN Bangladesh and India Country Offices jointly organized the ‘International Workshop on Trans‐boundary Water Resource Knowledge Sharing:  Presentation of Joint Research and Regional Initiatives’ under the project entitled Ecosystems for Life: A Bangladesh – India Initiatives, on 24 November 2011 at the Dhaka Regency Hotel and Resorts Ltd, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

IUCN Bangladesh and India Country Offices jointly organized the ‘International Workshop on Trans‐boundary Water Resource Knowledge Sharing:  Presentation of Joint Research and Regional Initiatives’ under the project entitled Ecosystems for Life: A Bangladesh – India Initiatives, on 24 November 2011 at the Dhaka Regency Hotel and Resorts Ltd, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

IUCN Bangladesh and India Country Offices jointly organized the ‘International Workshop on Trans‐boundary Water Resource Knowledge Sharing:  Presentation of Joint Research and Regional Initiatives’ under the project entitled Ecosystems for Life: A Bangladesh – India Initiatives, on 24 November 2011 at the Dhaka Regency Hotel and Resorts Ltd, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

A high-level meeting of the energy experts was held at the IUCN Conference Room in Dhaka on 27 September 2011. The objective of the meeting was to discuss Method of Approach for the Study on Situation Analysis of Energy Security in Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) Basins: Bangladesh Perspective by Professor Dr. M. Nurul Islam, Institute of Appropriate Technology,
Bangladesh University for Engineering and Technology (BUET). The meeting was moderated by the Co-Chair, National Advisory Committee-Bangladesh of the project, Dr. Q.K. Ahmad.

The consultations on joint research were part of the larger dialogue process of the Ecosystems for Life programme. Bangladesh and India have some of the most intricate and complex river systems in the world. There are over 50 river systems, most of them flowing into the Bay of Bengal. A sound technical understanding is fundamental to develop strategies for sustainable management of these trans-boundary ecosystems.

The second multi-stakeholder consultation of the Ecosystems for Life project was held throughout the day on 10th January 2011 where authors of Situation Analysis papers of the five thematic groups shared their recommendations on common issues for joint research and intervention under this project. The consultation was attended by experts from various disciplines and institutions of Bangladesh including IUCN National Committee members and two Ecosystems for Life National Advisory Committee (NAC) members.

The Joint Author Meeting was organised in Bangkok, Thailand on 8 December 2010, as a part of the larger dialogue process of the Ecosystems for Life programme. The ‘Ecosystems for Life: A Bangladesh-India Initiative’ uses a multi-stakeholder dialogue process to promote insights across the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers systems.

The first multi-stakeholder consultation of the ‘Ecosystems for Life’ project was held throughout the day on 29th November 2010, divided into three sessions – a morning session covering introduction to the project and speeches of the esteemed Guests of Honor, a break-out session for the five thematic working groups to discuss on common issues for joint research and dialogue and a plenary session for open discussion, comments and recommendations by all the participants.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has initiated a project in the India-Bangladesh sub-region. Entitled “Ecosystems for Life: A Bangladesh-India Initiative”. This project is being jointly implemented by both the Bangladesh and India offices of IUCN with support from the Asia Regional Office in Bangkok. The project duration is from 2010-2014 and is funded by the Minister for Development Cooperation, The Kingdom of The Netherlands.