Conserving & restoring waterways can mitigate extreme urban heat in Bangladesh
DHAKA — In pre-monsoon the heat of May, five teenage boys used a rope with knots in it to scale a wall and enter the national botanical gardens in Dhaka,…
Bangladesh News
In the Sundarbans, women are embracing mangrove restoration as an alternative livelihood
Dwelling near the erosion-prone riverbank of the mighty Pasur River, 43-year-old Shumi Mondol understands the importance of a mangrove barrier. Next to her cottage in Loudob in Khulna’s Dacope subdistrict,…
Bangladesh introduces awareness initiatives to curb panic over Russell’s vipers
The Russell’s viper was long thought to be nearly extinct in Bangladesh, where it is known as chandra bora, until about a decade ago. Wildlife biologists were unaware of the…
In the wake of Bangladesh’s deadliest dengue outbreak, researchers respond
In Bangladesh, regular cycles of heat and rain have long cultivated dense populations of insects, and, by extension, the diseases they carry. Dengue fever was first confirmed in Bangladesh 60…
Scientists are racing to save South Asia’s butterflies from the threat of extinction
In the dark undergrowth of mangrove forests, an anthology of color stirs. Flickers of turquoise rise like exhales from the brackish marshlands, and flashes of sunset orange spark alive in…
Dhaka international symposium gathers at the intersection of art & climate crisis
DHANGMARI, Bangladesh — In late May, elementary school children rushed up and down the worn footpaths between their homes in Dhangmari, giggling and showing off small clay sculptures. One girl…
Sundarbans fisherfolk are battered by cyclones amid fishing bans
On a muddy alluvial land by the intertidal rivers Shibsa and Sutarkhali, several unmechanized traditional river boats, known as country boats, are docked, despite it being a weekday in mid-June.…
Bangladesh incinerator project sparks row between government & contractor
A disagreement between the Bangladesh government and the contractor China Machinery and Engineering Corp. (CMEC) has apparently stalled the implementation of the first-ever waste-to-power project in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka. This…
Black days for black kites in Bangladesh’s growing capital city
Every dusk in the University of Dhaka campus, in Bangladesh’s busy capital city of Dhaka, the canopies of the taller trees like Gogon sirish (Albizia richardiana), or Raj koroi, trees…
Media must help reduce conflict between tigers and people in the Sundarbans (commentary)
The Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest, is a natural wonder that supports millions of people. It's a shield against powerful storms and provides resources for countless families. But this…
Bangladesh to formalize fire mitigation plans for Sundarbans as burning risk rises
The Bangladesh government is drafting guidelines to tackle the rising incidence of fires in the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest, as intensifying human activity raises the risk of burning…
Bangladesh island’s switch from solar power to fossil fuels threatens birds
Almost all 2,500 households — mostly fisher folks — on Nijhum Dwip, a national park that has the second-largest mangrove forest in Bangladesh, used solar PVs LED bulbs at night…
Bangladeshi farmers find zucchini’s high yields & low costs palatable
For long, cucumbers and pumpkins remained the only popular squash vegetables in Bangladesh. When Bangladesh Agricultural Extensions introduced zucchinis to farmers in the late 1990s, there was some confusion among…
Rocky rollout for Bangladesh’s ambitious solar-powered irrigation plans
Bangladesh plans to phase out diesel-powered irrigation pumps for solar ones to cut carbon emissions, but the country’s farmers have expressed concern about the availability of power during bad weather…
In Bangladesh, olive ridley turtles break 4-year record with 53% increase in eggs
This year, Bangladesh has seen its highest number of olive ridley turtle eggs, thanks to extensive conservation actions, including building awareness among local people and the vigilance of local conservation…
Navigating the rise in conflicts between humans and fishing cats in Bangladesh
In a quiet village called Charghikamala in Rajbari district, a sad story unfolded one night. Helal, a villager, heard his goat crying out in fear. When he went to check,…
Forest officer’s killing highlights Bangladesh authorities’ waning power
DHAKA — Police in Bangladesh have arrested one person and are looking for nine others suspected of killing a forest officer after he caught them illegally excavating soil in a…
Bangladesh uses satellite transmitters on saltwater crocodiles in Asia’s first
DHAKA — In a breakthrough in saltwater crocodile conservation in the country, Bangladesh has started using a satellite tagging system to monitor the species’ movements, habits, and life span in…
Beneath the surface, a toxic tide threatens Bangladesh’s water lifeline
Imagine a mother in a rural village drawing water from a well with her pitcher. This seemingly ordinary water holds her family's future — for drinking, cooking and bathing. But…
Despite investment in conservation, Bengal tigers still struggling in Bangladesh
Due to inefficient and inadequate measures, Bangladesh lags in achieving success in tiger conservation despite having dedicated significant funds to the effort over the last two decades. According to data…
Comeback on the cards for Asian antelope declared extinct in Bangladesh
DHAKA — On Jan. 7, 2024, in a rural area of northwestern Bangladesh, a nilgai, the largest species of Asian antelope, crossed the border from India. It never crossed back.…
To save topsoil & reduce pollution, Bangladesh moves toward alternative bricks
With rising demand for infrastructure development in Bangladesh, both private and public, the demand for bricks has increased over the decades. To meet the demand, production has also risen. The…
As lightning strike fatalities increase, Bangladesh still has no reliable preventive measures
Over several decades, Bangladesh has seen an increase in the frequency of lightnings and, consequently, an increase in fatalities resulting from lightning strikes. Researchers have linked the increased frequency of…
Herbicide used in Bangladesh tea production threatens biodiversity & health
Tea has been an integral part of Bangladeshi life for long. From breakfast to evening chat, tea is a favorite drink to serve. Besides Bangladesh, tea is among the most…
As climate disasters claim their children, Bangladeshi mothers seek safety in bigger families
DHAKA — Jhinuk recalls screaming as water rushed into her hut in northeastern Bangladesh last August. “Four children clung, two stumbling toddlers. Fear choked me, air like ice, but I…
In Bangladesh, sunflower grows where other crops don’t amid increasing salinity
Bangladesh is primarily an agro-based country where rice, wheat, maize, jute and various vegetables are considered significant and popular crops for farmers — in terms of ensuring both food security…
Overfishing leads to decline in Bangladesh marine fish stocks & diversity
Despite enacting different laws and regulations, both old and new, Bangladesh has faced a decline in marine fish stocks and diversity over the years, thanks to the rampant use of…
Bangladeshi farmers eye moringa as a climate and economic solution
In Bangladesh, farmers are increasingly tapping into a growing global market for moringa, a tree prized for its nutritional value and potential as a climate solution. The fast-growing, drought-resistant moringa…
Indigenous effort in Bangladesh helps reverse endangered fish’s slide to extinction
DHAKA — Lika Chakma, 37, says she can still remember her childhood days when the springs in the Digholchari Hajachara area of eastern Bangladesh, where she grew up, flowed year-round.…
Western hoolock gibbon conservation in Bangladesh urgently needs funding (commentary)
Western hoolock gibbons (Hoolock hoolock), native to the forests of northeastern India, western Myanmar, and eastern Bangladesh, are among the world's most threatened primates, listed as endangered on the IUCN…
Prevention is best defense against Bangladesh crop diseases, researchers say
Bangladeshi farmers are struggling with five major crop diseases, likely reducing the crop yield by up to 62% annually. Researchers suggest no effective insecticides for these diseases except for taking…
Elite appetite turns Bangladesh from source to consumer of tiger parts
DHAKA — Bangladesh’s strong economic growth over the past two decades has lifted millions of the country’s citizens out of poverty. It’s also led to a booming elite class —…
Special series
Forest Trackers
- Narco airstrips beset Indigenous communities in Peruvian Amazon
- 15 illegal narco-trafficking airstrips found near Peru Indigenous communities
- Satellite data show bursts of deforestation continue in Indonesian national park
- Fires rip through Indigenous territories in Brazilian Amazon
Oceans
- Samoa’s new marine spatial plan protects 30% of the country’s ocean
- Tuna fishing devices drift through a third of oceans, harming corals, coasts: Study
- Indigenous Bajo suffer child deaths & toxic sludge amid green energy push
- Southeast Asia’s fisheries thrive despite decades of overfishing warnings: Study
Amazon Conservation
- ‘World’s largest’ carbon credit deal in the Amazon faces bumpy road ahead
- New conservation model calls for protecting Amazon for its archaeological riches
- Brazil dredges Amazon rivers to ease drought isolation, raising environmental concerns
- ‘We need white men on our side to save the Amazon from destruction,’ 92-year-old Indigenous Chief Raoni says
Land rights and extractives
- Indigenous Bajo suffer child deaths & toxic sludge amid green energy push
- ‘Colombia’s Amazon peoples provide solutions’: Interview with José Homero Mutumbajoy
- Should mining companies consider no-go zones where isolated Indigenous peoples live? (Commentary)
- Brazil sets a date to remove illegal miners from Munduruku land, more details await
Endangered Environmentalists
- Environmental & rights activists flee and hide as M23 captures DRC’s cities
- Environmental journalist in Cambodia shot and killed by suspected logger
- Vietnam sentences yet another energy expert over renewables research
- Mother Nature Cambodia activists sentenced to prison — again
Indonesia's Forest Guardians
- On a Borneo mountainside, Indigenous Dayak women hold fire and defend forest
- Fenced in by Sulawesi national park, Indigenous women make forestry breakout
- In Borneo, the ‘Power of Mama’ fight Indonesia’s wildfires with all-woman crew
- Pioneer agroforester Ermi, 73, rolls back the years in Indonesia’s Gorontalo
Conservation Effectiveness
- How effective is the EU’s marquee policy to reduce the illegal timber trade?
- How sharing and learning from failures can transform conservation (commentary)
- Is planting trees as good for the Earth as everyone says?
- Failure in conservation projects: Everyone experiences it, few record it
Southeast Asian infrastructure
- An ‘ocean grab’ for a property megaproject leaves Jakarta fishers grounded
- Study: Indonesia’s new capital city threatens stable proboscis monkey population
- Indonesia’s new capital ‘won’t sacrifice the environment’: Q&A with Nusantara’s Myrna Asnawati Safitri
- Small farmers in limbo as Cambodia wavers on Tonle Sap conservation rules
