Our Services
Programmes
Ecosystem health monitoring and conservation programmes
Ecosystem health monitoring is an important task which involves monitoring of ecosystem heath of different ecosystems through development of various bio-indicators. In Bangladesh context, River health monitoring should be a priority area like other countries programmes, such as AUSRIVAS (Australia) and RIVPACK (U.K). The coastal ecosystems are diverse – estuaries, rivers, wetlands, mudflats, sand dunes, lagoons etc and each ecosystem has its own peculiarities in terms of structures, processes and functions. For each type of ecosystem, environmental monitoring and conservation programmes involving both scientific professionals and the general community may be developed.
Biodiversity research and conservation programmes
The National Biodiversity Assessment has emphasised all three levels of genetic biodiversity, species and ecosystem biodiversity. For long term conservation efforts and tapping economic benefits, species and genetic level diversity needs to be explored involving strategic planning, resource allocation, development of proper research facilities, and taxonomist. Moreover, base line survey for flora and fauna of rivers, wetlands, streams and coasts need to be undertaken, ITEB is interested in serving the areas which are neglected but scientifically important, such as aquatic biodiversity algae, invertebrates –benthos, arachnids, insects which is important from productivity, trophic structures and carbon cycle.
Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) and Climate Change
For effective and in-depth understanding of environmental and climate change problems, we need to understand long term spatial and temporal scales, such as biological impacts of climate change on flora and fauna on river and wetland ecosystems and fisheries. For example, phenology study and carbon cycles are crucial to understand the impacts of climate change
Rivers and wetlands conservation and restoration programmes
Rivers, streams and wetlands are victims of different forms of encroachment, and human settlement and as a result many rivers and wetlands are on the verge of extinction. Local communities will be mobilised to save each and every river and cleaning and restoration programmes will be operationalised voluntarily.
Research for Protected Areas (PA) and Ecologically Critical Areas (ECA)
The different conservation techniques, such as ex-situ and in-situ conservation, germ-plasm and gene banks are being practiced in conservation. In Bangladesh, there are many good initiatives for in-situ conservation -the Swatch of No Ground as a marine protected area is an in-situ conservation effort. For sustainability of protected areas, there is a need for base line survey of flora-fauna on their habitat, and empirical research about the latter. Modern tools like molecular identification by nuclear and mitochondrial gene sequencing may be used.
Invasive species/ Ballast water issues
Ballast water is known as the water carried by cargo and oil tankers from the imported countries in order to stabilize the ship. The discharging of ballast water releases organisms and sediments that have been carried in the tanks from the source location into the marine environment of the up-loaded location or country. The viability and productivity of the introduced organisms into the new environment is governed by the suitability of the surrounding ecosystem parameters, including physical, chemical and biological variables. The success of any species to survive and reproduce in the new environment is considered as a biological invasion which almost always results in catastrophic consequences. It has been noticed that, one of the most devastating impacts of human activity on marine environments, particularly in coastal environment, is the introduction of foreign species, which may severely alter the biodiversity of marine ecosystem. The maritime ports of Bangladesh –Chittagong, Mongla and Payra need to be studied.
Community outreach and education programmes
Different community outreach programmes in the form of meetings, discussions, motivational videos and scientific documentaries will be exhibited and learning programmes will be launched. Communities will be encouraged to take initiatives for local conservation of rivers and wetlands and their cleanup programmes.
Regional and International Collaboration
Tropical Ecology is still its infancy compared to Temperate Ecology. There exists much scope to work on different multidisciplinary research programmes which will increase the understanding of complexity of the problems which are generally beyond national boundaries of the countries and need regional synergistic approach.