Nijhum Dweep National Park (22°03'30"N, 91°00'10"E), offering key non-breeding sites for thousands of migratory shorebirds, lies at the overlap between the Central Asian and East Asian-Australasian flyways, and which has been recognized as one of the global Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA). This national park and its surrounding area are an important area for wintering migratory birds, such as Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Asian Dowitcher, Great Knot, Indian Skimmer, Spotted Greenshank. Even though Nijhum Dweep National Park is a protected area, > 12,000 people inhabit the park. Shoreline and mudflats are extensively used by people for subsistence, mainly for fishing and other wetland ecosystem services. Moreover, every year, local bird hunters hunt and sell migratory waterbirds.
Participation of the local people in conservation is crucial for long-term conservation programs and the sustainability of magnificent wetlands and the numerous species that rely on them. Raising awareness about wetlands and migratory waterbird conservation is important for peoples who rely on wetlands.
Bangladesh is now in a good position in terms of the Covid-19 epidemic. As a result, there are no restrictions on organizing any celebration or big gathering. Considering the present situation, we are proposing to celebrate the WMBD 2022 on 8 May, 2022 through awareness campaign, discussion and development of educative outreach materials.
Awareness campaign: Local communities, school-age children and school teacher will be involved in an awareness campaign. Photos of threatened migratory shorebirds will be displayed. During the event, an art contest and best essays about migratory shorebirds will be held and awarded to the school going children.
Discussion session on WMBD: A discussion session on migratory birds, their habitats and the school going children, school teacher and local governmental agencies (chairman & members).
Developing educational outreach materials: We will develop and print poster with theme of WMBD 2022 in Bengali as well as leaflets in Bengali. We will distribute the outreach materials to schools, local community and local markets.