Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina struck the right cord when she recently laid importance on proper utilisation of haors, baors and wetlands terming them as the lifeline of the country. She made this pertinent observation while she was addressing the first advisory council meeting of the Department of Bangladesh Haor and Wetland Development held at her office recently. A country that might face the worst climate change disaster in future must make the right and judicious use of its wetlands. For preserving environment, the country needs to protect its wetlands.  
Many species of aquatic existence including some varieties of sweet water fishes are facing the threat of extinction. Many have already gone extinct. Moreover, the demand of fish as a protein resource is also increasing in the country with the increase in the country’s population. Even at present, fish production in Bangladesh is far shorter than its actual demand. But people of this deltaic region always depended on fish for its protein demand. The proverb goes well: machhey bhatey banagali (Fish and rice make the Benagli’s meal) and country’s wetlands, besides the rivers, always remained as major sources of fish. Ironically many rivers across the country have already dried up or are drying up. The rivers are also being encroached upon. It is pertinent to mention here that wetlands, Chalan Beel for example, are being grabbed by the greedy people. Therefore, strict maintenance of the country’s remaining wetlands as well as rivers can hardly be overemphasised. It has to be carefully maintained that rivers (as well as wetlands) do not any more lose their depth and regular dredging of the concerned rivers in this regard is crucially important.
Besides cultivation of fish, haors can also be used to produce crocodiles and snails which, as the prime minister pointed out, can be a source of foreign currency as these have demand abroad. As a signatory of Ramsar Convention which was signed in 1971, Bangladesh approved the Haor Master Plan much later, in 2012, and the projects under it still have to be completed for their conservation and ‘wise use’. For protecting the wetlands of the country Bangladesh should follow the guidelines of Ramsar Convention that emphasises the importance of adopting national wetland policies, either separately or as a component of wider initiatives such as national environmental action plans. It is also necessary to put in place wetland inventory, monitoring, research, training, education and public awareness as per the policies of the Ramsar Convention. Developing integrated management plans at wetland sites in the country is also of crucial importance.