Research Article Status of Biodiversity at Wetland ...downloads.hindawi.com/journals/ae/2014/642450.pdf · Bangladesh is rich in wetland biodiversity with fresh water and marine species

Research ArticleStatus of Biodiversity at Wetland Ecosystem ofMohangonj Upazila in Netrakona District

Mohammad Zahangeer Alam

Department of Bioenvironmental Science Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU)Gazipur 1706 Bangladesh

Correspondence should be addressed to Mohammad Zahangeer Alam mohammadalamemailwsuedu

Received 19 June 2014 Revised 9 August 2014 Accepted 21 August 2014 Published 2 September 2014

Academic Editor Dafeng Hui

Copyright copy 2014 Mohammad Zahangeer Alam This is an open access article distributed under the Creative CommonsAttribution License which permits unrestricted use distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original work isproperly cited

Species inwetlands provide ecosystem services andprotect the sustainable environment for humanbeingsThewetland biodiversityhas been impacted at Mohangonj in Bangladesh due to the development of major environmental threats The present research isundertaken to report the species status wetland properties andmajor environmental pressures in each wetland ecosystem Amongthe recorded species the total percentage of visible threatened endangered and extinct species was 6923 1862 10 and 192 inthese wetland ecosystems respectively The highest number of threatened species was found in the wetland of Aizda (29) thelowest was in Khalaura (8) The maximum number of endangered species was noted in the wetland of Sonarthal (16) andthe minimum was in Chadra (4) wetland Four percent species were in the extinct category at some of the wetland ecosystemsWetland biodiversity protects wetland ecosystem services and the sustainable environment for species conservation Continuousmonitoring of wetland biodiversity might be helpful for the conservation of species in the wetland ecosystem

1 Introduction

Wetlands are one of the worldrsquos key natural resources Itis the transition between land and water and are the mostproductive ecosystems in the world Wetlands can be naturalor artificial such as marsh fen and peat land wetlandrsquoswater may be permanent or temporary static or flowing andfresh or brackish including the areas of marine water thedepth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters [1]The biodiversity of the wetland ecosystem is variable in theworld it encompasses the range of living things the degree ofgenetic variation and the wealth of different habitats withina particular ecosystem The wetland habitat is distinct fromany other land-based terrestrial habitats and the organismsof this ecosystem face specific environmental problemsHowever most of these problems are overcome through thedevelopment of a plant or animalrsquos distinctive behaviorThesewetland species are visible in different climatic regions dueto their typical characteristics in various parts of the worldthey are not confined to certain areas or particular zones of

latitude as are most of the great global biomes such as rainforest savanna and desert area As a consequence wetlandsare a great source of global biodiversity within the majorclimatic belts due to the evolved collection of animals andplants

Although some species are able to overcome environ-mental threats wetland species are still vulnerable in theworld The reduction of species is a common phenomenonin the wetland and terrestrial ecosystem Since the year 1600some animal species disappeared due to the introductionof alien species habitat destruction hunting or deliberateexecution human population growth unsustainable patternsof consumption increasing production of waste urban devel-opment and international conflicts [2 3] 150 animal speciesare isolated from wetland habitats and 33 are at risk intheir habitats 125 species are critically endangered 220 arevulnerable and 98 are threatened in wetland ecosystems [4]In Floridarsquos wetland ecosystem (USA) 131 species are state redlisted 67 are federally endangered species and 835 speciesare considered rare [5] Similarly the Hakaluki wetland at

Hindawi Publishing CorporationAdvances in EcologyVolume 2014 Article ID 642450 8 pageshttpdxdoiorg1011552014642450

2 Advances in Ecology

Sylhet in Bangladesh faces species scarcity It contains morethan 238 interconnectingwetlands butmost of the species arerare endangered threatened and vulnerable in this wetlandecosystem [6ndash8] As a consequence the relationship betweenwetland biodiversity ecosystem services and human benefitsreceived much more attention for the protection of thewetland biodiversity [9ndash11]

Bangladesh is rich in wetland biodiversity with 280 freshwater and 490 marine species available at different wetlandecosystems [12] These wetlands provide natural ecosystemservices such as water fish edible animals wood energy andrecreational activities [13ndash15] However wetland species andecosystem service vulnerability are elevated in Bangladeshdue to the agriculture land conversion forest clearing climatechange harvesting of natural resources and the introductionof alien species [16] that lead to the deterioration of wetlandresourcesThedepletion of thewetland resource also dependson the wetland type and ecosystem services as they arevaluable to human beings [17] For this reason substantialinvestments are needed to systematically inventory wetlandresources for full documentation [18 19] Therefore the doc-umentation of species status in theMohangonj wetlandmightbe helpful for the protection of wetland ecosystems whichleads to the defense of biological diversity and sustainableenvironment

2 Materials and Method

21 Description of Study Area Wetland species diversitywas recorded at Mohangonj upazila in Netrokona districtin Bangladesh from January to December in 2013 Theselected wetlands were Nagadura Dingaputa Chadra Son-apeti Aizda Firail Nader Sonarthal and Khalaura Thegeographical location of the Mohangonj upazila (Netrokonadistrict) is an area of 24320 sq km it is bounded by Barhattaand Dharmapasha upazilas on the north Madan and Khalia-juri upazilas on the south Jamalganj and Khaliajuri upazilason the east and Atpara upazila on the west The geo-graphic coordinates of Mohangonj upazila are 24∘5210158402110158401015840N90∘5810158403210158401015840E degrees The sites of the study are illustrated inFigure 1 Photographic scenarios of wetlands are highlightedin Figure 2

22 Data Collection The status of wetland species propertiesof the different wetlands and the environmental threatswere documented from the study areas with the help oflab research assistants Information was collected throughinterviews with approximately 10 people who live in the studyarea The properties of wetland ecosystem such as wetlandarea water life topography type of wetland major cropsand use of water were recorded in Table 1 Tables 2 and 3highlight information regarding the status of visible threat-ened endangered and extinct species Major environmentalthreats and their impacts on wetland biodiversity ecosystemservice and sustainable environment were noted (Figure 3)The percent of visible threatened endangered and extinctspecies was analyzed based on the total number of recorded

1

2

34

5

67

8

9

(1) Nagadura(2) Dingaputa(3) Chadra(4) Sonapeti(5) Aizda

(6) Firail(7) Nader(8) Sonarthal(9) Khalaura

24∘42

99840030

998400998400N

24∘45

9984000998400998400N

24∘47

99840030

998400998400N

24∘50

9984000998400998400N

24∘52

99840030

998400998400N

24∘55

9984000998400998400N

24∘57

99840030

998400998400N

24∘42

99840030

998400998400N

24∘45

9984000998400998400N

24∘47

99840030

998400998400N

24∘50

9984000998400998400N

24∘52

99840030

998400998400N

24∘55

9984000998400998400N

24∘57

99840030

998400998400N

91∘799840030998400998400E

91∘59984000998400998400E

91∘299840030998400998400E

91∘09984000998400998400E

90∘5799840030998400998400E

90∘559984000998400998400E

91∘799840030998400998400E

91∘59984000998400998400E

91∘299840030998400998400E

91∘09984000998400998400E

90∘5799840030998400998400E

90∘559984000998400998400E

64210

(km)

Mohangonj upazilaN

Figure 1 Sites of study area on the different wetlands biodiversity

fish aquatic plant and bird species at different wetlandecosystems which are highlighted in Table 3 and Figure 4

3 Results

31 Properties of Wetland Ecosystem All wetlands are naturalin the study areas Wetland sizes were variable in boththe dry and rainy seasons The wetland size of NagaduraDingaputa Chadra Sonapeti Aizda Firail Nader Sonarthaland Khalaura was 50 115200 200 120 100 120 200 120 and125 acres respectively during the rainy season Among all thewetlands the smallest wetland was Nagadura at 50 acres andSonapeti Aizda Sonarthal Firail and Khalaura were similarin size during the rainy season The ranges of the wetlandareas were 5 to 20000 acres in the dry season Some of thewetlands were similar in size during the dry season such asSonapeti Firail Nader and Khalaura Rainfall is the mainsource of water for all wetlands Water life was variable in thedifferent wetlands also topography of the wetlands was flat tomediumhigh Generally water is used for irrigation purposesin rice fields the major crop in Bangladesh (Table 1)

32 Major Threats for Wetland Ecosystem Service and Biodi-versity Major environmental threats were recorded in thedifferent wetland ecosystems such as intensive agricultural

Advances in Ecology 3

Figure 2 Photographic scenario of the status of wetland ecosystem in the dry season

Table 1 The properties of the different wetland ecosystems at Mohangonj upazila in Netrokona district

Sl number Name ofwetland

Area in rainyseason (acre)

Area in dryperiod (acre)

Source ofwater Water life Topography of

surrounding areaMajorcrops

Use ofwater

Type ofwetland

1 Nagadura 50 10 Rainfall Medium Flat Rice Irrigation Natural2 Dingaputa 115200 20000 Rainfall High Flat Rice Irrigation Natural3 Chadra 200 80 Rainfall Medium Medium high Rice Irrigation Natural4 Sonapeti 120 50 Rainfall Medium Medium high Rice Irrigation Natural5 Aizda 100 5 Rainfall Low Medium high Rice Irrigation Natural6 Firail 120 50 Rainfall Medium Medium high Rice Irrigation Natural7 Nader 200 50 Rainfall Medium Medium high Rice Irrigation Natural8 Sonarthal 120 50 Rainfall Medium Medium high Rice Irrigation Natural9 Khalaura 125 40 Rainfall Low Medium high Rice Irrigation Natural

crop cultivation residential and commercial area devel-opment invasive alien species pollution hunting climatechange change in fire regime damswater managementintensive fish culture human disturbance transportservicecorridors and the intensive use of pesticides These threatsare constraints for wetland biodiversity ecosystem servicesand sustainable livelihood (Figure 3)

33 Visible Species Twenty fishes (20) 4 aquatic plantsand 7 bird species were recorded in the different wetlandecosystems The percent of visible species of NagaduraDingaputa Chadra Sonapeti Aizda Firail Nader Sonarthaland Khalaura wetland was 6190 6675 72 72 625 70 7271 and 75 respectively Most of the wetland showed similarpercentage of the species visibility The total species visibilitywas 6923 in all wetland ecosystems (Table 3 and Figure 4)The visible fish species that were recorded at different wetlandecosystems include Macrognathus pancalus Puntius puntioHet eropneustes fossilis Clarias batrachus Labeo rohitaAnabas testudineus Mystus vittatus Glossogobius giurisLepidocephalichthys guntea Penaeus monodon Gibelioncatla Channa punctata Chanda nama Salmostoma phuloAmblypharyngodon mola and Corica soborna Similarlyvisible aquatic plant species were documented for instanceEichhornia crassipes Pistia stratiotes Nymphaea nouchali andNymphaea lotus at different wetland ecosystems (Table 2)

34 Threatened Species The percent of threatened species(fish aquatic plant and birds) were 28 23 20 1363 29

21 12 13 and 8 in the wetlands of Nagadura DingaputaChadra Sonapeti Aizda Firail Nader Sonarthal and Kha-laura respectively A total of 1862 of species were threat-ened in these wetland ecosystems (Table 3) The threatenedspecies were Boal (Wallago attu) Balihash (Anas platyrhyn-chos) Bog (Ardeola grayii) Gangchil (Larus ridibundus)Machranga (Alcedo atthis)and Pankouri (Phalacrocorax fus-cicollis) (Table 2) The highest percent of the threatenedspecies was recorded in the wetland of Aizda the lowestwas in the Khalaura wetland and similar numbers of thethreatened species were found in the wetlands of DingaputaChadra and Firail (Table 3 and Figure 4)

35 Endangered Species The percent of endangered specieswas 952 10 4 9 8 9 12 16 and 125 in the wetlands ofNagadura Dingaputa Chadra Sonapeti Aizda Firail NaderSonarthal and Khalaura individually Among these recordsspecies of Pabda (Ompok pabda) Chital (Chitala chitala)Ilish (Tenualosa ilisha) and Kalim bird(Porphyrio porphyrio)were found to be endangered species (Table 2) The highestpercent of the endangered species was found in thewetland ofSonarthal (16) the lowest was in the Chadra (4) wetlandA total of 10 of species were endangered in these wetlandecosystems (Table 3 and Figure 4)

36 Extinct Species Four percent of the extinct species werefound in the wetlands of Nagadura Sonapeti Nader andKhalaura (Table 3 and Figure 4)The species of Shukun (Gyps


Table 2 Recorded of the fish aquatic plant and birds species at different wetland ecosystems

Name of species Local name English name Scientific name

Fish

Chikra (Guchi) Barred Spiny Eel Macrognathus pancalusPuti Puntio Barb Puntius puntioShing Stinging Catfish Heteropneustes fossilisMagur Walking Catfish Clarias batrachusBoallowast Freshwater Shark Wallago attuRui Rohu Labeo rohitaKoi Climbing perch Anabas testudineusPabdalowastlowast Pabdah catfish Ompok pabdaTengra Striped Dwarf Catfish Mystus vittatusBailla Tank goby Glossogobius giurisGutum Guntea loach Lepidocephalichthys gunteaChingri Shrimp Fenneropenaeus indicusPenaeus monodonKatal Catla Gibelion catlaTaki Spotted Snakehead Channa punctateChitallowastlowast Clown Knifefish Chitala chitalaChada (Chanda) Elongate Glass Perchlet Chanda namaChela Fine-scale razor belly minnow Salmostoma phuloMola Mola carplet Amblypharyngodon molaIlishlowastlowast Hilsa shad Tenualosa ilishaKachki Ganges river sprat Corica soborna

Aquatic plant

Kachuripana Common water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipesTopapana Water cabbagewater lettuceNile cabbageshellflower Pistia stratiotesShapla Red and blue water lily Nymphaea nouchaliPadma white lotus or sacred lotus Nymphaea lotus

Bird

Bali Hashlowast Wild Mallard or Wild Duck Anas platyrhynchosBoglowast Indian Pond Heron or Paddybird Ardeola grayiiShukunlowastlowastlowast Bengal Vulture Gyps bengalensisMachrangalowast Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthisPankourilowast Indian Cormorant or Indian Shag Phalacrocorax fuscicollisKalim Birdlowastlowast Purple Moorhen or Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyriaGangchillowast Black Headed Gull Larus ridibundus

lowastindicated threatened specieslowastlowastindicated endangered specieslowast lowast lowastindicated extinct species

Table 3 Status of species (fish aquatic plant and bird species) atdifferent wetland ecosystems of Mohangonj upazila in Netrokonadistrict

Name ofwetland Visible Threatened

Endangered Extinct

Nagadura 6190 28 952 476Dingaputa 6675 23 10 0Chadra 72 20 4 0Sonapeti 72 1363 9 454Aizda 625 29 8 0Firail 70 21 9 0Nader 72 12 12 4Sonarthal 71 13 16 0Khalaura 75 8 125 4Total 6923 1862 10 192Thepercent of visible threatened endangered and extinct species was foundbased on the total recorded fish aquatic plant and bird species

bengalensis) was identified as an extinct A total of 192 ofspecies were extinct in these wetland ecosystems (Table 2)

4 Discussion

Wetland biodiversity is the key natural resource formaintain-ing sustainable environment It protects many species for along period of time andmaintains friendly interaction amongdifferent species in their ecosystemsWetland species interac-tion at Mohangonj upazila in Bangladesh has deteriorated inthe form of species vulnerability even though it has a diversegeology a large river network and few big lakes Many ofthesewetlands have already lost their biodiversity and ecosys-tem services because of intensive agriculture and aquacul-ture logging development of residential area invasive alienspecies soil and water pollution huntingtrapping severeclimate change constructing dams for water managementhuman disturbance transportservice corridors intensiverice cultivation and high use of pesticides and fertilizersin the wetland crop fields (Figure 3) References [20ndash22]report that loss of wetland habitats and land degradation arethe consequences of overexploitation alien invasive speciesclimate change and pollution Since early decades thesetypes of issues have been increasing severely in the wetland


Wetland

Status of wetland biodiversity

ThreatenedEndangeredExtinct of species

Wetland ecosystem service

ProvisioningFoodFresh waterWood and fiber

RegulatingClimate regulationFlood regulationDisease regulation

CulturalAestheticSpiritualEducationalRecreational

SupportingNutrient cyclingSoil formation

Major threats for wetland ecosystem

AgricultureaquacultureLoggingResidentialcommercial developmentInvasive alien speciesPollutionHuntingtrappingClimate changeChange in fire regimeDamswater managementFisheriesHuman disturbanceTransportservice corridorsIntensive rice cultivationUse of pesticides

Constraints for sustainable environment

Security Basic materials for good life Good health

∙ Personal safety∙ Secure resource access∙ Security from disasters

∙ Adequate livelihoods∙ Sufficient nutritious food∙ Shelter

∙ Strength∙ Feeling well∙ Access to clean air and water

Fuel

Water purification

Primary production

Figure 3 Threats on wetlands biodiversity and ecosystem service

ecosystem area [23] As a result among the recorded speciesthe total percentage of visible threatened endangered andextinct species was 6923 1862 10 and 192 in the wetlandecosystems of Mohangonj respectively This is similar tohow some species have disappeared in other parts of theworld such as polar bears sea turtles pika golden frogs andharlequin frogs [24ndash27] and one million species are in anextinction category in the world [28]

Wetland connectivity protects natural ecosystems Thisconnectivity is important for species richness in wetlandecosystem because of the development of suitable habitatsfor species conservation [29] But the sustainable agriculturalsystem has focused on the expansion of agricultural farmingwhich is the global principal driver to the loss of wetland con-nectivity and natural resources [30ndash32] As a consequencepeople in the wetland have been producing agricultural cropsintensively Different pestsrsquo biotypes have increased in thecrop fields due to different cropping patterns and climatechange They have been applying pesticides in their cropfields for the protection of pests This type of agricultural

activity is important for crop cultivation but it is the keythreat in the wetland ecosystem resiliency [33ndash35] Similarlyconsistence land use changes impact wetland biodiversityFor example two-thirds of 333 farmland species (broad-leaved plants butterflies bumblebees birds and mammals)are threatened by agricultural intensification at the end ofthe 20th Century [36] In the same way some of the speciesare threatened endangered and extinct in the study areas ofwetland ecosystem due to intensive sustainable agriculturalpractices

Moreover industrial pollution is the driver of wetlandbiodiversity depletion [37] Different types of industries haveincreased in Bangladesh due to the economic growth andforeign investment As a result people do not protect thenatural resources in the wetland ecosystem because theyearn more money from industry rather than the protec-tion of natural resources in the wetlands Even thoughwetland is one of the greatest biological resources for theprotection of sustainable environment it is disrupted dueto the inconsideration of natural resources Reference [38]


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Visible Threatened

Endangered Extinct

Nag

adur

a

Din

gapu

ta

Chad

ra

Sona

peti

Aiz

da

Fira

il

Nad

er

Sona

rtha

l

Kha

laur

a

Figure 4 Graphical presentation of visible threatened endangeredand extinct species of different wetland ecosystem at Mohangonjupzila in Netrokona

reports that birds and fish are important bioindicators formaintaining the aquatic vegetation in the wetland ecosystembut these bioindicators are in decline due to the industrialpollution habitat alteration introduction of alien speciesand commercial exploitation in the wetland ecosystem [39]Similarly the wetland species are threatened endangeredand extinct in this wetland ecosystem due to these kinds ofmajor environmental threats (Table 2 and Figure 3)

Since 1970 a total of 3 terrestrial 14 marine and35 freshwater populations have disappeared due to theanthropogenic activities in the world [40 41] Sixty percentof the 1146 freshwater taxa are assessed as threatened and228 species are extinct since the last century because of waterpollution in thewetland ecosystem [42] In this circumstancewetland biodiversity has been continuously threatened allover the world [23] nine million different types of plantsanimals and fungi inhabit are dismantled in the earthrsquosecosystems [43] These kinds of problems are elevated in thewetland ecosystems because of major environmental threatsThese threats also impact wetland ecosystem services suchas food fuel water climate regulation aesthetic spiritualrecreational activities and soil nutrient cycling As a resultsome constraints are already established in the wetland areassuch as a lack of personal security basic materials andgood health which leads to deteriorating the sustainableenvironment for the species conservation

The wetland ecosystem is significantly important forspecies conservation ecosystem service and sustainablelivelihood This wetland ecosystem is also necessary forcarbon sequestration from the atmosphere because of theirvaried species composition tree density and leaf litter depo-sition For instance a high percent of soil carbon is stockedat Himachal Pradesh forest area in India due to the well-protected forest and its higher biomass which sequesterssignificantly more carbon compared to other forest ecosys-tems [44] As a consequence wetland biodiversity can reduce

global warming and is a local mitigation measure for climatechange

The protection of wetland biodiversity is necessary forthe mitigation of climate change It can be protected indifferent ways by maintaining the wetlands connectivityusing recommended doses of pesticides and fertilizers inthe surrounding crops fields planning well urbanizationstopping deforestation avoiding artificial fish culture inthe wetlands managing of the aquatic vegetation properlyavoiding hunting of the migratory birds and other animalsavoiding continuous fishing monitoring of the species statuscontinuously harvesting of rainwater maintaining waterflow increasing the public awareness inspiring the peoplewho depend on wetland resources for alternative adoptionand implementing rules and regulations for the conservationof wetland resources by the government Also changes ofthe wetland biodiversity and ecosystem services might bemaintained through the guidelines of [45] by adopting proac-tive attitude in support of a sustainable environment It isexpected that wetland biodiversity and ecosystem service willplay a vital role at the science-policy interface as describedby [46] Therefore continuous research and monitoring onwetland biodiversity and ecosystem services are essentialfor the protection of sustainable environments and climatechange in the world

5 Conclusion

The status of wetland biodiversity is at an extreme risk due tomajor environemntal threats Wetland species are threatenedand endangered some of the species have totally disappearedin the wetland ecosystem Among the recorded speciesthe total percentage of visible threatened endangered andextinct species was 6923 1862 10 and 192 in thesewetland ecosystems respectively As a consequence wetlandecosystem protection is important for species conservationand the protection of a sustainable environment

Conflict of Interests

The author declares that there is no conflict of interestsregarding the publication of this paper

Acknowledgment

The author is immensely grateful to the BangabandhuSheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University GazipurBangladesh for funding these research activities

References

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[2] ChapmanampHallGlobal Biodiversity Status of the Earthrsquos LivingResources World Conservation Monitoring Center LondonUK 1992

[3] UNEP Global Environment Outlook 3 2003


[4] P Comer A K Goodin G Tomaino et al Biodiversity Valuesof Geographically Isolated Wetlands in the United States NatureServe Arlington Va USA 2005

[5] Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) FloridarsquosWildlife Legacy Initiative Tallahassee Fla USA 2011 httpmyfwccomconservationspecialinitiatives

[6] Coastal Wetland Biodiversity Managgement Plan (CWBMP)ldquoHakaluki Haor Management Planrdquo UNDP 2005

[7] M A Sattar and M Z Alam ldquoStudy of biodiversity at somewetland areas of Bhalukardquo Bangladesh Journal of EnvironmentalScience vol 10 no 1 pp 216ndash219 2004

[8] M Z Alam ldquoStudy of threatened rare-endangered and extinctfish species at some wetland areas of Bhaluka region ofMymensinghrdquo Bangladesh Journal of Environmental Sciencevol 11 no 2 pp 450ndash453 2005

[9] CBD Global Biodiversity Outlook 3 Secretariat of the Conven-tion on Biological Diversity Montreal Canada 2010

[10] TEEB The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity Main-streaming the Economics of Nature A Synthesis of the ApproachConclusions and Recommendations of TEEB The Economicsof Ecosystems and Biodiversity Progress Press Valletta Malta2010

[11] W J Sutherland W M Adams R B Aronson et al ldquoOnehundred questions of importance to the conservation of globalbiological diversityrdquo Conservation Biology vol 23 no 3 pp557ndash567 2009

[12] M S Hossain G D Nani and M S N Chowdhury FisheriesManagement of Naaf River Institute of Marine Science andFisheries University of Chittagong University of Chittagongand Center for Good Governance Chittagong Bangladesh2007

[13] J S Larson P R Adamus and J E J Clairain FunctionalAssessment of Freshwater Wetlands A Manual and TrainingOutline WWF Publication Glaud Switzerland 1989

[14] E B BarbierM Acreman andD Knowler Economic Valuationof Wetlands A Guide for Policy Makers and Planners RamsarConvention Bureau Gland Switzerland 1997

[15] R TWoodward and Y-SWui ldquoThe economic value of wetlandservices a meta-analysisrdquo Ecological Economics vol 37 no 2pp 257ndash270 2001

[16] C M Cheffings and L Farrell The vascular plant red data listfor Great Britain No 7 JNCC Peterborough UK 2005

[17] E B Barbier ldquoAn approach to economic evaluation of tropicalwetlands with examples from Guatemala and Nicaraguardquo inCaribbean Ecology and Economics Caribbean ConservationAssociation N P Girvan and and D Simons Eds pp 207ndash231St Michael Bridgetown Barbados 1991

[18] T Keeler D R Elan K Lewis and S A Flint ldquoCalifornia vernalpool assessmentrdquo Preliminary Report State of California Dept-partment of Fish and Game Sacramento Calif USA 1998

[19] J M Jankovski C M C Coulter and B Mosley Riparian andWetland Plant Associations of Southwestern Idaho with Focus onthe Bureau of Land Managementrsquos Lower Snake River DistrictIdaho Department of Fish and Game and Idaho ConservationData Center 2001

[20] J E M Baillie J Griffiths S T Turvey J Loh and B CollenEvolution Lost Status and Trends of the Worlds VertebratesZoological Society of London London UK 2010

[21] J C Vie C Hilton-Taylor and S N Stuart Eds Wildlife ina Changing World An Analysis of the 2008 IUCN Red List ofThreatened Species International Union for Conservation ofNature Gland Switzerland 2009

[22] Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Ecosystems and HumanWell-Being Synthesis Millennium Ecosystem Assessment WorldResources Institute Island Press Washington DC USA 2005

[23] S H M Butchart M Walpole B Collen et al ldquoGlobalbiodiversity Indicators of recent declinesrdquo Science vol 328 no5982 pp 1164ndash1168 2010

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[25] E S Poloczanska C J Limpus andGCHays ldquoVulnerability ofmarine turtle to climate changerdquo inAdvances inMarine BiologyD W Sims Ed vol 56 pp 151ndash211 Elsevier Academic PressSan Diego Calif USA 2009

[26] J A Pounds M R Bustamante L A Coloma et alldquoWidespread amphibian extinctions from epidemic diseasedriven by global warmingrdquo Nature vol 439 no 7073 pp 161ndash167 2006

[27] E A Beever C Ray J L Wilkening P F Brussard and PW Mote ldquoContemporary climate change alters the pace anddrivers of extinctionrdquo Global Change Biology vol 17 no 6 pp2054ndash2070 2011

[28] C D Thomas A Cameron R E Green et al ldquoExtinction riskfrom climate changerdquo Nature vol 427 no 6970 pp 145ndash1482004

[29] N Ishiyama T Akasaka and F Nakamura ldquoMobility depen-dent response of aquatic animal species richness to a wetlandnetwork in an agricultural landscaperdquo Aquatic Sciences vol 76p 2 2014

[30] L Brussaard P Caron B Campbell et al ldquoReconciling bio-diversity conservation and food security scientific challengesfor a new agriculturerdquo Current Opinion in EnvironmentalSustainability vol 2 no 1-2 pp 34ndash42 2010

[31] IAASTD ldquoAgriculture at a crossroads Synthesis reportrdquo inInternational Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge Science andTechnology for Development B D McIntyre H R Herren JWakhungu and R T Watson Eds Island Press WashingtonDC USA 2009

[32] Millennium Assessment Ecosystems and Human Well-BeingWetlands and Water Synthesis Millennium Ecosystem Assess-mentWorld Resources Institute Island PressWashington DCUSA 2005

[33] M H Benson and A S Garmestani ldquoCan we manage forresilience The integration of resilience thinking into naturalresource management in the United Statesrdquo EnvironmentalManagement vol 48 no 3 pp 392ndash399 2011

[34] A S Mori ldquoEcosystem management based on natural distur-bances hierarchical context and non-equilibrium paradigmrdquoJournal of Applied Ecology vol 48 no 2 pp 280ndash292 2011

[35] C A Johnston ldquoCumulative impacts to wetlandsrdquo Wetlandsvol 14 no 1 pp 49ndash55 1994

[36] S J Butler D Brooks R E Feber J Storkey J A Vickery andK Norris ldquoA cross-taxonomic index for quantifying the healthof farmland biodiversityrdquo Journal of Applied Ecology vol 46 no6 pp 1154ndash1162 2009

[37] B J Coppins S Street and L Street ldquoLichens of Aspen Woodsin Strathspey Unpublished Reportrdquo 2001 httpwwwtreesfor-lifeorguktflaspen lichen ecologyhtml

[38] J Palacio-Nunez J R Verdu E Galante D Jimenez-Garcıaand G Olmos-Oropeza ldquoBirds and fish as bioindicators of


tourist disturbance in springs in semi-arid regions in Mexico abasis for managementrdquo Animal Biodiversity and Conservationvol 30 no 1 pp 29ndash41 2007

[39] B M Peter and A L Robert ldquoConservation biologyrdquo in Loss ofBiodiversity in Aquatic Ecosystems Evidence from Fish Faunaspp 127ndash169 Springer 1992

[40] K D Boylan and D R MacLean ldquoLinking species loss withinwetlandsrdquo National Wetlands Newsletter vol 19 pp 13ndash17 1997

[41] D S Wilcove M McMillan and K C Winston ldquoWhat exactlyis an endangered species An analysis of the US endangeredspecies list 1985ndash1991rdquo Conservation Biology vol 7 pp 1985ndash1991 1993

[42] MDumortier L de Bruyn andMHensBiodiversity Indicators2007 State of Nature in Flanders (Belgium) Research Institutefor Nature and Forest Brussels 2007

[43] B J Cardinale J E Duffy A Gonzalez et al ldquoBiodiversity lossand its impact on humanityrdquo Nature vol 486 pp 59ndash67 2012

[44] R Ray M D S Chandran and T V Ramachandra ldquoBiodiver-sity and ecological assessments of Indian sacred grovesrdquo Journalof Forestry Research vol 25 no 1 pp 21ndash28 2014

[45] P Peduzzi R Harding J Richard S Kluser L Duquesnoy andB BoudolUNEP Foresight Process Phase I Results of the UNEPConsultation United Nations Environment Program Nairobi2011

[46] C Perrings A Duraiappah A Larigauderie and H MooneyldquoThe biodiversity and ecosystem services science-policy inter-facerdquo Science vol 331 no 6021 pp 1139ndash1140 2011

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Forestry ResearchInternational Journal of

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Sylhet in Bangladesh faces species scarcity It contains morethan 238 interconnectingwetlands butmost of the species arerare endangered threatened and vulnerable in this wetlandecosystem [6ndash8] As a consequence the relationship betweenwetland biodiversity ecosystem services and human benefitsreceived much more attention for the protection of thewetland biodiversity [9ndash11]

Bangladesh is rich in wetland biodiversity with 280 freshwater and 490 marine species available at different wetlandecosystems [12] These wetlands provide natural ecosystemservices such as water fish edible animals wood energy andrecreational activities [13ndash15] However wetland species andecosystem service vulnerability are elevated in Bangladeshdue to the agriculture land conversion forest clearing climatechange harvesting of natural resources and the introductionof alien species [16] that lead to the deterioration of wetlandresourcesThedepletion of thewetland resource also dependson the wetland type and ecosystem services as they arevaluable to human beings [17] For this reason substantialinvestments are needed to systematically inventory wetlandresources for full documentation [18 19] Therefore the doc-umentation of species status in theMohangonj wetlandmightbe helpful for the protection of wetland ecosystems whichleads to the defense of biological diversity and sustainableenvironment

2 Materials and Method

21 Description of Study Area Wetland species diversitywas recorded at Mohangonj upazila in Netrokona districtin Bangladesh from January to December in 2013 Theselected wetlands were Nagadura Dingaputa Chadra Son-apeti Aizda Firail Nader Sonarthal and Khalaura Thegeographical location of the Mohangonj upazila (Netrokonadistrict) is an area of 24320 sq km it is bounded by Barhattaand Dharmapasha upazilas on the north Madan and Khalia-juri upazilas on the south Jamalganj and Khaliajuri upazilason the east and Atpara upazila on the west The geo-graphic coordinates of Mohangonj upazila are 24∘5210158402110158401015840N90∘5810158403210158401015840E degrees The sites of the study are illustrated inFigure 1 Photographic scenarios of wetlands are highlightedin Figure 2

22 Data Collection The status of wetland species propertiesof the different wetlands and the environmental threatswere documented from the study areas with the help oflab research assistants Information was collected throughinterviews with approximately 10 people who live in the studyarea The properties of wetland ecosystem such as wetlandarea water life topography type of wetland major cropsand use of water were recorded in Table 1 Tables 2 and 3highlight information regarding the status of visible threat-ened endangered and extinct species Major environmentalthreats and their impacts on wetland biodiversity ecosystemservice and sustainable environment were noted (Figure 3)The percent of visible threatened endangered and extinctspecies was analyzed based on the total number of recorded

1

2

34

5

67

8

9

(1) Nagadura(2) Dingaputa(3) Chadra(4) Sonapeti(5) Aizda

(6) Firail(7) Nader(8) Sonarthal(9) Khalaura

24∘42

99840030

998400998400N

24∘45

9984000998400998400N

24∘47

99840030

998400998400N

24∘50

9984000998400998400N

24∘52

99840030

998400998400N

24∘55

9984000998400998400N

24∘57

99840030

998400998400N

24∘42

99840030

998400998400N

24∘45

9984000998400998400N

24∘47

99840030

998400998400N

24∘50

9984000998400998400N

24∘52

99840030

998400998400N

24∘55

9984000998400998400N

24∘57

99840030

998400998400N

91∘799840030998400998400E

91∘59984000998400998400E

91∘299840030998400998400E

91∘09984000998400998400E

90∘5799840030998400998400E

90∘559984000998400998400E

91∘799840030998400998400E

91∘59984000998400998400E

91∘299840030998400998400E

91∘09984000998400998400E

90∘5799840030998400998400E

90∘559984000998400998400E

64210

(km)

Mohangonj upazilaN

Figure 1 Sites of study area on the different wetlands biodiversity

fish aquatic plant and bird species at different wetlandecosystems which are highlighted in Table 3 and Figure 4

3 Results

31 Properties of Wetland Ecosystem All wetlands are naturalin the study areas Wetland sizes were variable in boththe dry and rainy seasons The wetland size of NagaduraDingaputa Chadra Sonapeti Aizda Firail Nader Sonarthaland Khalaura was 50 115200 200 120 100 120 200 120 and125 acres respectively during the rainy season Among all thewetlands the smallest wetland was Nagadura at 50 acres andSonapeti Aizda Sonarthal Firail and Khalaura were similarin size during the rainy season The ranges of the wetlandareas were 5 to 20000 acres in the dry season Some of thewetlands were similar in size during the dry season such asSonapeti Firail Nader and Khalaura Rainfall is the mainsource of water for all wetlands Water life was variable in thedifferent wetlands also topography of the wetlands was flat tomediumhigh Generally water is used for irrigation purposesin rice fields the major crop in Bangladesh (Table 1)

32 Major Threats for Wetland Ecosystem Service and Biodi-versity Major environmental threats were recorded in thedifferent wetland ecosystems such as intensive agricultural









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Research Article Status of Biodiversity at Wetland ...downloads.hindawi.com/journals/ae/2014/642450.pdf · Bangladesh is rich in wetland biodiversity with fresh water and marine species