February 27, 2012

Landscape of the Week: Bangladeshi Wetlands

Local Governance and Empowerment for Improved Wetland Management

By Winrock International Staff, Edited by Gelsey Bennett, Senior Program Associate
Winrock International, Arlington, Virginia, USA

The Management of Aquatic Ecosystems through Community Husbandry (MACH) project in Bangladesh (implemented 1998-2009) developed an innovative approach to watershed management which centered on a community-based co-management mechanism applied over an entire wetland ecosystem. Wetlands are critical in Bangladesh; 50% of the country is comprised of regularly inundated floodplains. Wetlands serve as nursery and breeding grounds supporting fish production, which are key to the fishing industry in Bangladesh. MACH recognized that local communities should have direct control over the management, utilization, and benefits of local resources so that they would be used sustainably. It demonstrated that the poor can manage complex landscapes while restoring biodiversity and improving their incomes.

The MACH Approach

The floodplains of Bangladesh form one of the world’s most important wetlands. They are home to hundreds of species of unique plants, fish, birds and other wildlife and serve as a source of income and nutrition for millions of people. Floodplain fisheries play a vital role in cushioning rural poverty and supplying animal protein to the poor. Bangladesh’s wetlands are harmed by reduced dry season standing water and river flows, increased sedimentation and pollution, loss of natural connections between floodplains and rivers, and overfishing.

Recognizing the need for new approaches to floodplain and wetlands resources management, the Governments of Bangladesh and the United States jointly developed the MACH project. The project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Winrock International, was able to simultaneously improve wetland ecosystems and the livelihoods of local people through a community-centered, full ecosystem approach, as opposed to one which focused solely on fisheries management. A ecosystem (or watershed) approach considers all biodiversity, functions, and human communities within the watershed. A fisheries management approach focused more narrowly on fish resources.

Co-management is the foundation of the MACH approach. Its core principle is to share management decisions and responsibility between resource users and government, thus improving the quality of decisions and local compliance with management plans. Co-management required major changes in institutions and attitudes. This transition was comprised of three key elements:

  • working with local communities and government to develop co-management organizations;
  • building the capacity of those institutions to manage themselves and empowering them to conserve wetland ecosystems and use resources sustainably; and
  • providing support to improve the livelihoods of poor people dependent on these wetlands.

MACH emphasized the development of local institutions to support communities and local government in the management of natural aquatic resources. The project helped develop Resource Management Organizations (RMOs), which manage natural resources in the target areas, and Resource User Groups, formed to diversify and enhance livelihoods. The RMOs and Resource User Groups were linked to the government through Local Government Committees. The committees include officials, elected representatives and community leaders. Together, the Local Government Committee members oversee wetland management and make co-management decisions.

Key Lessons

Developing Co-Management Linkages. Co-management is the sharing of responsibilities between resource users and government, and commonly devolves greater management responsibilities to the community. While local government is a key in all development work at the grassroots level, MACH placed a particular emphasis on the strengthening of community linkages with local government and formalizing the status of the RMOs.

Building Community Resource Management Institutions. Evidence shows the merits of establishing sanctuaries for fish stock during the dry season, but to be sustainable, this strategy must be endorsed by the community. The development of community organizations for wetland management empowered local bodies to take responsibility for decisions and actions to restore and sustain wetlands. The RMOs played a key role in protecting water bodies, addressing problems identified by the communities, and restoring wetland habitat. RMOs adopted regulations covering their wetland resource areas they directly controlled, such as fishing times, means of harvesting and plans for physical interventions.

Empowering the Poor. Wetlands provide a variety of resources and stakeholders usethese resources for income and subsistence. MACH’s comprehensive approach involved all communities neighboring the wetlands and ensured the participation of the poor in local government committees.  Constitutional arrangements (eligibility for different posts, roles of leaders, term limits) governing the operation of the RMOs promoted pro-poor participation.

Ensuring Women’s Participation. By the end of 2005, the members of seven RMOs were at least women. Roughly two-thirds of the women in RMOs were also Resource User Group (RUG) members.  Women made up 36% of RUG membership. USAID’s 2006 External Project Evaluation Team stated,

An outstanding achievement of the project has been the empowerment of women. The project has operated in conservative rural areas, where women have traditionally had few rights and little power over their lives or livelihoods. By insisting that a proportion of positions in RMOs be filled by women, and by setting up RUGs for women, the project has forced the pace of social change.”

MACH demonstrated the viability of an approach which empowered community members, including women and the poor, to support conservation efforts at an ecosystem scale.  Through a co-management approach, MACH increased linkages between community groups and local government leading to improved watershed management, increased fish yields, and improved biodiversity of wetlands.

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