Rain Water Harvesting for Sustainable Biodiversity Conservation at Lawachara National Park in Bangladesh: A Study on Policy Challenges

An assessment on the rain water management policy at a protected area for conserving biodiversity was undertaken. The study focuses on the current status of biodiversity with respect to ecological changes and community environmental awareness at the Lawachara National Park (LNP) in Moulvibazar district of Bangladesh. The contemporaneous era of modernization and globalization indicates a lot of comfort and luxurious life where lead to an alarming situation of huge environmental degradation integrated with all the apprehensive activities. Now a days the entire sectors in the world economy is facing massive challenges to deal with the global warming, climate change, environmental problems, loss of biodiversity and its consequences present one of the most important threats to the protected areas. Due to all these reasons, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have started modifying its activities and strategies through Aichi Targets to ensure protection to our natural resources and environment, particularly biodiversity conservation at protected areas. Everyone exploits them but none can conserve profoundly due to lack of scientifically effective policies, tools and methods in national park areas. The study explores the present uniqueness of inland water management, land use, environmental and forest policy towards Lawachara National Park for Biodiversity Conservation according to Aichi Target 11 of the CBD. The study examined the exclusivity of the tools to enhance conservation through existing approaches, technology, literature reviews, observations, reconnaissance findings and undertook interviews with park managers, Team Leader of Co-management Committee, Indigenous Community Leader, Academics, Biodiversity Specialists, Water Management Officer, Botanists, Zoologists, Researchers, Environmental Lawyers, land user, Learners, Policy-Maker, Local Government Leaders, NGOs and effective key stakeholders. All data were sorted and analysed using SPSS software for development of priorities Logic Model. About 55% of the respondents agreed that rain water should be harvested at LNP during rainy season as for importance of biodiversity information. The study showed that 42% and 55% of the respondents respectively stated that it is essential and very essential for the authority to undertake the necessary action to fulfill the Aichi Target of CBD at the existing protected area management. During winter and summer season water scarcity tends to highly ecosystem services at LNP. This scarcity assessment will support policy and decision-makers in assessing options to modify existing policies which will develop initial long-term strategic plans for rain water harvesting and implement effective policies for sustainable biodiversity conservation. The study also highlights on the steps, initiatives, benefits and future of rain water harvesting technology in Bangladesh context. Moreover, the study regarded the need for protection of biodiversity at LNP while reducing the water scarcity, removing illegal hunting and loss of biodiversity issues during dry and winter seasons. Overall, the research revealed that terrestrial water harvesting at protected areas requires policy improvement for sustainable conservation. However, policy makers and relevant bodies need to be trained on biodiversity and water to make them more effective. Finally, the study suggests future research trajectories using a new collaborative approach to drive methodological agenda and recommends ways to further incorporate the need of upcoming generation on water management policy at protected areas in stimulating environmental sustainability

Towards Stimulating Tools for Advancement of Environmental Conservation through Promoting of Psychological Instruments

The explorative field observation on Environmental Conservation Psychology (ECP) is multi-diversified with collective and conjectural outlook. ECP provides a better understanding of the way in which conservation awareness, attitude, ethics, culture and well-being are affected by physical environments, social settings and built-in environment. The goal is to stimulate more attention be paid to ensure the effectiveness of environmental conservation and highlight psychological instruments required to develop new interdisciplinary approaches with innovative ways in prevailing challenges for the present and upcoming generations. Primary data were collected from a sample of respondents at the Lawachara National Park (LNP) in Moulvibazar district of Bangladesh and secondary data were obtained from diverse sources. The research denoted and investigated by various disciplines and fields including environmental behaviors studies, positive psychology, person-environment studies, human-nature science and ecological psychology. The study showed about 70% of indigenous respondents opined on positive attitudes for environmental conservation to compare with 55% in others. The study identified approximately 65% of respondents stated for development of environmental education among local communities for promoting positive psychology surrounding the national park. This study focuses the importance of understanding this multidimensional psychological research as it is to inform about the environmental conservation perspectives that have contributed to and shaped the learning with high internal conservation stability, dependability, uniformity, and attractiveness with social bonding at LNP. This study represents the environmental design, manage, protect and restore conserving of biodiversity towards national parks that influence human behavior, predict and the likely outcomes when these conditions are not met and diagnose problem situations. This study links at solving complex environmental conservation problems in the pursuit of individual well-being within a longer community through human-environment conservation interactions

Growth of National Parks Information Knowledge for Improving Biodiversity Conservation in Bangladesh: An Outlook on Policy Perspectives

In Bangladesh, biodiversity loss is a national issue, which connects with the high biological productivity of parks, wildlife sanctuaries, wetlands, homestead forests and marine biota. National Parks Information (NPI) are the state hubs of biodiversity conservation systems. Everyone exploits this biodiversity but none can effectively conserve due to lack of methodically policies and tools. This study attempts to augment knowledgeable factors of the policies towards growth of national parks for conserving biodiversity in Bangladesh. It also represents on the analysis and review of the current distribution of national parks, policy tools and legal aspect to enhance conservation activities within and around the areas. The research data collected through literature reviews, observations, interviews, and stakeholder’s participation. The study illustrated that existing NPs are disseminated among 27.13% of administrative district areas, but no NPs in 72.87% districts in Bangladesh which will have adverse effect on future biodiversity conservations. The study focused that the growth of NPI which highlighted within the period of 2010 to 2014. The research also found that Lawachara National Park is in good conditions compared to other NPs in Sylhet division. Moreover, the study recommends that the policy-making decisions on sustainable biodiversity protection at NPs in Bangladesh should integrate the national growth with economic, social, 4 institutional, environmental and legislative domains. It concludes by highlighting conceptual changes for integrative biodiversity research at national parks

Applications of Biological Diversity Information Systems towards Conservation at Lawachara National Park in Bangladesh

The study investigates a framework for Biological Diversity Information Systems (BDIS) with relevant rules and regulations that emphasize the need for interdisciplinary research collaborations at national, regional and global scales on nature conservation mechanisms at Lawachara National Park (LNP) in Bangladesh. To date, Bangladesh has no Integrated National Biodiversity Database with Clearing House Mechanisms. So, there is a lot of nature conserving problems faced on biodiversity management systems. The study integrates technological information from stakeholders like park manager, biological diversity specialists, network officers, ecological specialists, policy-makers, wildlife managers, academicians and relevant bodies. The study represents the uniqueness of the tools used to enhance conservation professionals on the national biodiversity strategic action plan through existing policies and technology, literature reviews, observations, interviews and reconnaissance findings. Approximately 64% of the respondents agreed for the development of Integrated Biological Diversity Information Systems (BDIS) for conserving nature at LNP. The study describes the essential information needed for comprehensive data exchange, data indexing, web-publication and reports on Convention on Biological Diversity with the help of Resources Information Management System. Finally, the study suggests future research trajectories using a new collaborative approach to drive the methodological agenda and recommends ways to further incorporate the information systems integrating next generations’ biodiversity conservation perspective