Language: English
Tanguar Haor is one of the largest natural freshwater wetlands in the northeast region of Bangladesh. This haor (haors are wetland ecosystems in the north eastern part of Bangladesh) is extremely important for its large and diverse waterfowl populations, fisheries and natural resources. Realizing its importance in national, regional and global environmental perspective, a few steps have been taken to preserve its diverse biological resources, especially the large number of waterfowl and freshwater fishes. Other than being globally important for its exceptional biodiversity, Tanguar Haor plays a significant role in the economy of Bangladesh. Tanguar Haor supports freshwater fisheries, directly sustains the livelihoods of surrounding villages and largely contributes to the country‘s food production and security.
Characterization of the Tanguar Haor in ecological and biological perspective, an impact assessment of the current multisectoral haor management system and the preparation of an updated fauna inventory in various animal groups including molluscs, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals were conducted in the study. The overall study reveals that the management intervention with multisectoral coordination in Tanguar Haor leads to significant changes in abundance of fishes and waterbirds.
The ecological baseline study and updated inventory of fauna of Tanguar Haor gives an idea about the present status of the wetlands and the animal's habitat of the northeast region of the country. This book illustrates the importance of the ecology and fauna of Tanguar Haor in participatory co-management systems in the conservation of wetland resources using Ramsar wise-use policy in a sustainable manner.