Wetland Research and Training Centre (WRTC)

The Wetland Research and Training Centre (WRTC) was established in 1995. It is a project that provides facilities for conducting research and training on wetland related issues for national and international researchers. The centre is situated 100km from Dhaka in Bhennabary, a village near Dhaka-Gopalganj high way that falls under Gopalganj district. Experimentation on natural resources and development of sustainable rural livelihoods are also carried out in the centre. The centre is also equipped with pond for aquaculture, fruit orchards, vegetable farms and nurseries that are rich in biodiversity and has several species of birds and trees which add to the aesthetic beauty of the centre.

The centre welcomes researchers of both national and international standards. It provides facilities to conduct field research on wetland resources and livelihood issues. The WRTC, will soon build a laboratory, library, office and accommodation facilities to enhance facilities for conducting research, monitoring, training, dissemination and publication activities.

The centre has a number of research activities that provides facilities for Training and Dissemination. It has established networks with national and international universities, research organizations as well as government and non-government sectors. 

The following output has been produced by WRTC:

• Inventory of Chanda Beel Bio-diversity
• Promotion of Grassroots Participation Through Advocacy on Environment and Natural Resource Management in Chanda Beel
• Floodplain fish production monitoring
• Introducing wild fish conservation in privately owned  ditches
• Experiment in snail  farming in the WRTC campus
• Experiment in low cost aquaculture and horticulture practices
• Trees and plant nursery particularly medicinal and wetland adaptive species
• Habitat re-establishing through re-excavation a major link cannel of the Chanda Beel
• Introducing environmental education programme for school children, cultural events for enhancing knowledge for the need of bio-diversity conservation at grass root level.

Research findings conducted within WRTC will be used to formulate policy, identify advocacy issues from grass root level to policy level. Research reports, working papers, training manuals are under progress for wider circulation in the national and international arena.

For further information:

Sarder Shafiqul Alam
Research Fellow and Project in-charge of WRTC
Email: sarder.shafiqul@bcas.net