Fahmida Khalique Nitu
Working with Global Youth Biodiversity Network in Bangladesh gave the opportunity to contribute to the fragile biodiversity. I am working with some fresh souls, who actually care about nature and want to safeguard it. Since last year, as the work is progressing, I can see that engaging the youth is the most powerful tools for biodiversity conservation.
GYBN Bangladesh is in its early stage. It has completed a year after started its journey back in 2017. It was difficult to start a chapter in Bangladesh but was never impossible. It was indeed a challenging task to assemble so many fresh souls under one umbrella. The response from the youth was quite encouraging, and a notable number of them has successfully made the journey to date.
Youth in Bangladesh have all the potentials which can be used to retrieve the lost biodiversity through social mainstreaming of biodiversity. All we need to nourish young folks, to train them in engaging with policymakers and different stakeholders so that they can enter the ‘old men’s domain of policy process. The youth are the instigators who can bring positive changes to the society, and for the extra-humans members of the society too. If we can provide incentives to the youth to tackle conservation issues by engaging with one another and together forges an inspired path to a better world. The fate of the biodiversity actually depends on the hands of the young generation.
Biodiversity loss is a rapid process in Bangladesh. Lack of effective policy and its implication is a rare one. Sundarban, the largest mangrove forests in the world is the vulnerable victim of biodiversity degradation. UNESCO’s World Heritage site is now under the threat of so-called economic development. Rohingya influx is now a burning reason behind the loss of hill tracts with protected forest and wildlife. Migratory Asian Elephants are facing extinction risk due to human-elephant conflict. If we can’t save the nature and its wildlife, we will face nature’s curse in near future. Mainstreaming biodiversity and youth involvement are two important ways to sustainable development.
GYBN Bangladesh arranged some workshops, seminars, nature walk, bioblitz and awareness activity throughout the year along with the youth. Some among the youth took the lead and performed the praiseworthy job. The whole country was divided into some subzones to include potential youth from all corners and involve them as many as possible. Some of the teams have come with some brilliant ideas, for example; the team Chittagong has started an initiative on straw friendly restaurants. They approach the restaurant owner and try to motivate them to use the reusable straw. Blue solution workshop and Ocean Guardian workshop are the two newly introduced workshop themes by GYBN Bangladesh. Both of the workshops gained more youth involvement. Collaborative learning and participant-led learning is a useful way for mainstreaming biodiversity. In ocean guardian workshop the local participants arranged the whole event on their campus by themselves. All of the participants were so much enthusiastic and energetic. It was actually one of the most successful events of GYBN Bangladesh.
Two new coordinators have joined the team after completing the assignment successfully. They have all the potentials which are required for a good leader. They can make GYBN Bangladesh, a successful chapter in near future, I am very much hopeful about that.
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