Bangladesh has called for greater involvement of local communities in protecting rangelands and promoting sustainable land management.
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo He made the call at a ministerial dialogue titled “Restoration of Rangelands and the Well-being of Pastoralist Communities” at the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ulaanbaatar recently.
The minister stressed the need to protect public and community-owned lands while strengthening the economic capacity of rural communities.
He said Bangladesh does not have vast rangelands in the conventional sense, but livestock plays an important role in the rural economy and livelihoods.
Agricultural fields after harvest, fallow land, chars, wetlands and roadside areas are commonly used for livestock grazing. The livestock sector contributes around 2% to the country’s GDP and supports the livelihoods of millions of people.
