Expansion of aquaculture threatens the existence of wetlands in Bangladesh
Abstract
Despite positive role of aquaculture in food production, the practice may impact the environment negatively and it is difficult to quantify the loss. In this study, we assessed land use changes in four important wetlands (Hardoho Beel, Angrar Beel, Shaoil Beel and Gopalpur Beel) of Bangladesh through analysis of historical satellite images (1990 – 2020) to show how expansion of aquaculture activities threatens the existence of freshwater wetlands. Since 1990, the water area of all four wetlands decreased significantly over time (all p < 0.001). Mean yearly loss of 47.9 ± 79.3 ha, 99.2 ± 185.5 ha, 51.2 ± 61.9 ha and 2.6 ± 4.7 ha were recorded for Hardoho Beel, Angrar Beel, Shaoil Beel and Gopalpur Beel respectively. A decreasing trend in wetland area was recorded in all wetlands, primarily due to excavation of aquaculture ponds. In 2020, aquaculture ponds represented 72% of the core wetland areas. Two wetlands (Hardoho and Gopalpur) were almost totally lost and converted to aquaculture ponds and agricultural lands. This study concludes that the existence of freshwater wetlands in Bangladesh is at stake and recommends further studies to determine its impacts on people's livelihood and biodiversity.
References
Arefin R, Meshram SG, Santos CAG, da Silva RM, Pushparaj J (2020) Hybrid modelling approach for water body change detection at Chalan Beel area in northern Bangladesh. Environmental Earth Sciences 79: 442.
Beveridge MCM, Phillips MJ, Macintosh DJ (1997) Aquaculture and the environment: the supply of and demand for environmental goods and services by Asian aquaculture and the implications for sustainability. Aquaculture Research 28(10): 797–807.
Bhuiya SI (2014) Towards sustainable co-management organization: a case study of the Baikka Beel, Moulvibazar, Bangladesh. Journal of Fisheries 2(2): 119–124.
Diana JS (2009) Aquaculture production and biodiversity conservation. BioScience 59(1): 27–38.
Galib SM, Hoque MN, Akter S, Chaki N, Mohsin ABM (2016) Livelihood, climate change and fisheries: a case study of three fishing communities of northwestern Bangladesh. International Research Journal of Social Sciences 5(8): 18–25.
Galib SM, Lucas MC, Chaki N, Fahad FH, Mohsin ABM (2018) Is current floodplain management a cause for concern for fish and bird conservation in Bangladesh’s largest wetland? Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 28(1): 98–114.
Galib SM, Samad MA, Mohsin ABM, Flowra FA, Alam MT (2009) Present status of fishes in the Chalan Beel- the largest beel (wetland) of Bangladesh. International Journal of Animal and Fisheries Science 2(3): 214–218.
Islam MR, Hoque MN, Galib SM, Rahman MA (2013) Livelihood of the fishermen in Monirampur Upazila of Jessore district, Bangladesh. Journal of Fisheries 1(1): 37–41.
Islam MS, Rahman MR, Shahabuddin A, Ahmed R (2011) Changes in wetlands in Dhaka city: trends and physico-environmental consequences. Journal of Life and Earth Science 5: 37–42.
Jones PE, Tummers JS, Galib SM, Woodford DJ, Hume JB, ... Lucas MC (2021) The use of barriers to limit the spread of aquatic invasive animal species: a global review. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 9: 611631.
Khan MAG, Galib SM, Hasnath M, Mia MR, Kibria R (2022) Exotic fish and decreasing habitats vis-à-vis conservation of freshwater fish biodiversity of Bangladesh. Journal of Fisheries 10(1): 101301.
Naylor R, Goldburg RJ, Primavera JH, Kautsky N, Beveridge MCM, ... Troell M (2000) Effect of aquaculture on world fish supplies. Nature 405: 1017–1024.
Salam M, Rana KS, Rahman MT (2020) Impact of beel encroachment on aquatic biodiversity and vulnerability of poor fishermen in Noagaon district, Bangladesh. Asian Journal of Medical and Biological Research 6(2): 244–254.
Shalehin MS, Parvez MT, Lucas MC, Galib SM (2022) A case study of illegal fishing causes during seasonal fishery closure in Kaptai Lake, Bangladesh. Fisheries Management and Ecology. DOI: 10.1111/fme.12536
Stotz W (2000) When aquaculture restores and replaces an overfished stock: is the conservation of the species assured? The case of the scallop Argopecten purpuratus in northern Chile. Aquaculture International 8: 237–247.
Copyright (c) 2022 The Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
