Climate Change Impacts on Wetlands of Bangladesh, its Biodiversity and Ecology, and Actions and Programs to Reduce Risks

Climate change is projected to increase the intensity and frequency of disasters (floods, increased precipitation), the rise in temperature and sea level in Bangladesh, and the consequences of which will be felt across various sectors including wetlands and wetland-dependent ecosystems, biodiversity, agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture, and livelihoods of people. Hence, this will cause significant economic, social, and environmental challenges/problems for Bangladesh. The major negative impacts of climate change would be damage/destruction of wetland ecosystems and their biodiversity such as, loss or shift of breeding grounds of the Gangetic major carps in the Halda River, Chittagong; loss of Royal Bengal Tiger habitats in the Sundarbans; salinization of rice lands, freshwater aquaculture facilities, and aquifers; water quality problems in wetlands, i.e., algal blooms, low dissolved oxygen, and enhancement of toxins in seafood organisms (fish, prawn); and loss of tourism/recreational business (due to loss of biodiversity). The positive impacts of climate change such as floods would reestablish the connection between rivers and shallow lakes/wetlands, disperse biota/seeds, and enhance spawning and reproduction of native fishes. In order to reduce threats to various sectors, Bangladesh would need to adopt climate resilient development programs/actions including conserving wetlands/mangroves (which are biodiversity “hot spots” and act as major carbon sinks); conserving species with higher genetic diversity; use of 3F models (simultaneous forestry, food, and fish production in coastal areas) to reduce vulnerabilities in coastal communities; floating agriculture (waterlogged/flood-prone areas); and climate-smart aquaculture, r​a​i​n​w​a