Bangladesh: concern over biodiversity project in the Sundarbans

The Sundarbans are the largest mangroves in the world and have been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, as well as included as a Ramsar site. This area, that extends at the border between India and Bangladesh, is menaced by the exploration activites of oil and gas companies, which has provoked the reaction of local and international environmental NGOs (see WRM Bulletins 15 and 23).

The so-called Sundarbans Bio Diversity Project, designed to restore the original ecosystem and funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Nordic Development Fund, is being closely scrutinised by the Bangladeshi NGOs Coalition for the Environment, since the consultancy firm which is likely to get the bid, is Euro Consult, a Dutch firm with a reputation for causing environmental and social conflicts.

Source: WRM's bulletin Nº 26, August 1999

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