Dhaka, July 18 -- Wetlands play a crucial role in maintaining the ecological balance of ecosystems. Wetlands of Bangladesh have the characteristic of being sensitively in?uenced by water; supports agriculture, ?sheries and natural vegetation and maintain soil structure that is distinctive from that of surrounding uplands. But wetlands habitat of Bangladesh is under constant threat due to increase of population, commercialization of agriculture, over-?shing, siltation, pollution, ill-planned infrastructures, lack of institutional coordination and lack of awareness.
The total area of wetlands in Bangladesh is estimated to be 7-8 million hectares, or about 50% of its total land surface (Khan 1993). This includes 5.4 million hectares of open a...