Dhaka, Bangladesh, 29 May 2024 – Regional intergovernmental knowledge centre ICIMOD has partnered with Bangladesh’s Ministry of Chattogram Hill Tract Affairs (MoCHTA) to accelerate the scaling of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in one of the country’s climate risk hotspots.

The Chattogram Hill Tract (CHT) is Bangladesh’s most deeply forested zone, holding 43% of the entire country’s tree cover. As temperatures rise communities and nature are vulnerable to increasing extremes: heavy rainfall, landslides, droughts, and flashfloods.

NbS are tools and approaches that protect, restore, sustainably use and manage natural resources and ecosystems in ways that address social, economic and environmental challenges and benefit people and biodiversity.

“CHT’s acute vulnerability to temperature rise and nature loss creates an urgent impetus for the stepping up of action to support biodiversity, livelihoods and water resources,” said Pema Gyamtsho, Director General of ICIMOD. “Its natural resources and social characteristics, meanwhile, make it fertile ground for the adoption of pro-nature technologies.”

“We can restore our beautiful CHT landscape by using what nature already does well”, said Md. Mashiur Rahman ndc, Senior Secretary, Ministry of Chattogram Hill Tracts Affairs (MoCHTA). “These ideas must be based on science and suitable for the people who live there.”

The partnership, which will focus on piloting and scaling the revival of drying-up springs, was forged following a one-day Science-Policy Dialogue that focused on understanding the national policies and gaps in the implementation and scaling of NbS in the CHT region, jointly organised by ICIMOD’s Himalayan Resilience Enabling Action Programme (HI-REAP) and MoCHTA.

The event, supported by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office under their Climate Action for Resilient Asia (CARA) initiative, was graced by the presence of the Honourable Kujendra Lal Tripura, State Minister, MoCHTA, as the Chief Guest, chaired by Md. Mashiur Rahman ndc, Senior Secretary, MoCHTA, and attended by Farhina Ahmed, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

It brought together scientists, experts, and policymakers from relevant government departments, institutions, academia, and think tanks, who discussed the gaps in existing science and policies concerning NbS and the issue of springs that lie across state and national boundaries in the CHT region.

“The majority of CHT’s population relies on agriculture as the major source of livelihood.” said H.E Kujendra Lal Tripura, MP, Hon’ble State Minister, MoCHTA, Government of the People’s Republic Bangladesh. “But as the hill region’s water sources deplete, it’s urgent we embrace new, sustainable approaches to water resources. We look forward to identifying other promising ecosystem-based approaches that might help local communities adapt to a changing climate while bringing nature back. Today’s discussion is a valuable opportunity to share experiences and ideas for the sustainable development of Bangladesh, including the CHT region.”

“NbS are essential for addressing climate change and promoting sustainable development. To fully realise these benefits, NBS should be integrated into mainstream policies and practices. However, it is also important to carefully consider and evaluate both the short-term and long-term trade-offs associated with these solutions.” said Marjan Nur, Climate Change Policy Manager, British High Commission, Dhaka

“This partnership will enable ICIMOD to deploy tested approaches and contextualise and refine them working side-by-side with local communities and government partners in CHT. What we learn here, we will be able to take to other communities across the Hindu Kush Himalaya that are also seeing the loss of springs. This is where the strength of ICIMOD lies – to anchor and facilitate regional cooperation for climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable development” said Gyamtsho.

For media inquiries, please contact:

ICIMOD (Kathmandu)
Annie Dare, Head of Communications
Raz Tuladhar, Media Officer
Anshu Pandey, Senior Media Associate
Email: media@icimod.org

For information about the Science Policy Dialogue, please contact:
Babar Khan, Action Area Coordinator, for Regional Cooperation, ICIMOD.
Email: Babar.Khan@icimod.org

For information about Springs, please contact:
Sanjeev Bhuchar, Senior Watershed Management Specialist, ICIMOD
Email: Sanjeev.Bhuchar@icimod.org

In Dhaka, Bangladesh, please contact:
Kabir Uddin, Bangladesh Focal Person and GIS/RS Specialist
Email: Kabir.Uddin@icimod.org

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