GBM CSO Network second training was held in Sreemangal, Bangladesh, from 19 to 21 March 2019. The representative of CBCGDF was invited to attend the meeting.

The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghan Basin (GBM) covers a total area of more than 1.7 million square kilometers. It is one of the most flowing, populous and biodiversity-rich basins in the world. It is of great significance for the protection of biodiversity. In order to enhance the ability of river-sharing countries for inter-basin cooperation and water resources management, the International Union for Conservation Nature (IUCN) has launched a global plan to build river dialogue and governance (BRIDGE) in more than 14 transboundary basins in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean, which was officially launched in 2016. The training focused on exploring how countries can use "Nature Based Solution (NBS)" to solve cross-basin problems, emphasizing "protecting biodiversity in a natural way and achieving sustainable social development". The objective of the conference is to update the monitoring and evaluation framework, explore cases shared by governments and civil society organizations (CSOs), improve the implementation of the NBS concept, and incorporate NBS cases into GBM CSO Network documents. At the meeting, representatives of various countries shared cases, learned from each other and exchanged experiences.

On March 20, 2019, the training conference ushered in a full schedule for the next day. The organizers organized delegates to Baikabil Beel Reserve for field study. At 9 a.m., delegates arrived at Baikabil Beel Reserve to learn about local wetland ecosystem services. A stakeholder consultation meeting was held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. From 2.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m., delegates visited Lawachara National Park and met with members of the Joint Management Committee. Lawachara National Park is located in Maurvi Bazaar, Bangladesh, covering an area of about 1250 hectares. The park is rich in animal and plant resources. It is estimated that there are 460 species in the park, including 167 plant species and 246 bird species. It is an important biodiversity and Nature Reserve in Bangladesh.

On March 21, 2019, representatives of various countries assessed local wetland ecosystem services at the meeting. Through a field study to Baikabil Beel Reserve at yesterday, representatives of the CBCGDF and other organizations communicated with local villagers and stakeholders to understand the impact of wetlands on their production and life. Today, delegates from different countries discuss the importance of wetlands from the perspectives of supply, management, culture and support, and rating wetlands for local, regional and even global roles.

As a transitional zone between land and water, the wetland has both terrestrial and aquatic biological resources. It also has the ecological functions of regulating climate, purifying water, protecting biodiversity and controlling soil erosion.

In the afternoon of the same day, representatives of the CBCGDF shared China's best cross-basin practice case - Anti-electric fishing, which is a nature-based conservation model. This excellent Chinese case is highly consistent with NBS's concept of "protecting biodiversity in a natural way and realizing sustainable social development", which is expected to provide a reference for the protection of aquatic animals across river basins around the world. The representative of the CBCGDF also emphasized that public participation is an important power in the protection of biodiversity.

Through this training, CBCGDF representative not only shared the best practices case but also learned how to realize biodiversity conservation and water resources management in a natural way. They also learned the importance of wetland protection for human development. Promoting domestic work in related fields has valuable reference significance.

(Photo credit: CBCGDF)

Original Chinese article:

http://www.cbcgdf.org/NewsShow/4937/8067.html

By / Li Xue