Wetland Landscape Planning for Socio-Ecological Resilience and Sustainable Tourism: Evidence from Tanguar Haor, Bangladesh
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25034/ijcua.2026.v10n1-10Keywords:
Tanguar Haor, Wetland Landscape Planning, Socio-ecological Resilience, Sustainable Tourism, Nature-based solutionsAbstract
Wetland landscapes are exposed to ecological degradation, flood vulnerability, and tourism pressure, yet planning approaches treat conservation, livelihoods, and visitor management as separate concerns. This study addresses this gap by examining how integrated landscape planning can strengthen socio-ecological resilience and sustainable tourism in Tanguar Haor, a Ramsar-designated wetland in northeastern Bangladesh. Using a qualitative mixed method design, the research combined seasonal field investigations after the 2023 flash flood, during the 2024 post-monsoon period, and in winter 2025, with questionnaire responses from 50 residents, interviews, tourism observations, and thematic analysis. The findings show that seasonal inundation, settlement edge erosion, declining native vegetation, unmanaged houseboat tourism, and limited sanitation infrastructure intensify livelihood vulnerability and habitat disturbance. 5,089 hectares, representing 44% of the area, remain under permanent water and support fisheries, biodiversity, and seasonal economic activity. The study proposes an elevation-based landscape framework integrating native vegetation restoration, reed belts, ecological zoning, community stewardship, and regulated tourism infrastructure. These strategies can improve erosion control, public service efficiency, employment opportunities, tourism revenue, resource allocation, and urban regional economic resilience while advancing context-sensitive wetland governance for landscape planning and urban management.
Downloads
References
Abdenour, A., Sinan, M., & Lekhlif, B. (2025). Toward Sustainable Wetland Management: A Literature review of Global Wetland vulnerability Assessment techniques in the context of rising Pressures. Sustainability, 17(17), 7962. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17177962
Adarkwah, F., Awuni, S., Hajek, M., Kübler, D., Mattah, M., Gordon, C., & Owusu, E. H. (2024). Modelling the drivers of land use and land cover change of the great Amanzule wetland ecosystem to inform the development policy of the southwestern oil-rich region of Ghana. Heliyon, 10(17), e36635. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e36635
Anderson, V., & Gough, W. A. (2022). A Typology of Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Development: An analysis of form, function, nomenclature, and associated applications. Land, 11(7), 1072. https://doi.org/10.3390/land11071072
Bokhtiar, S. M., Islam, M. J., Samsuzzaman, S., Jahiruddin, M., Panaullah, G. M., Salam, M. A., & Hossain, M. A. (2024). Constraints and opportunities of agricultural development in Haor ecosystem of Bangladesh. Ecologies, 5(2), 256–278. https://doi.org/10.3390/ecologies5020017
Bruijnzeel, L. A., Peña-Arancibia, J. L., Sheil, D., Ziegler, A. D., Zhang, J., Zwartendijk, B. W., Birkel, C., Sun, G., Wang, Y., & Zhang, X. (2025). Potential for improved groundwater recharge and dry-season flows through forest landscape restoration on degraded lands in the tropics. Forest Ecosystems, 14, 100376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fecs.2025.100376
Chakraborty, D., Mondal, K. P., Islam, S. T., & Roy, J. (2021). 2017 flash flood in Bangladesh: Lessons learnt. In Elsevier eBooks (pp. 591–610). https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-323-85195-4.00007-x
Damastuti, E., Van Wesenbeeck, B. K., Leemans, R., De Groot, R. S., & Silvius, M. J. (2023). Effectiveness of community-based mangrove management for coastal protection: A case study from Central Java, Indonesia. Ocean & Coastal Management, 238, 106498. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2023.106498
Dizdaroglu, D. (2021). Developing design criteria for sustainable urban parks. Journal of Contemporary Urban Affairs, 6(1), 69–81. https://doi.org/10.25034/ijcua.2022.v6n1-7
Do, Y., Kim, S., Kim, J. Y., & Joo, G. (2015). Wetland-based tourism in South Korea: who, when, and why. Wetlands Ecology and Management, 23(4), 779–787. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-015-9418-2
Duan, Y., Tang, J., Li, Z., Yang, B., Yan, Y., & Yang, Y. (2021). Vegetated buffer zone restoration planning in small urban watersheds. Water, 13(21), 3000. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13213000
Durigan, G., Munhoz, C. B., Zakia, M. J. B., Oliveira, R. S., Pilon, N. A., Valle, R. S. T. D., Walter, B. M., Honda, E. A., & Pott, A. (2022). Cerrado wetlands: multiple ecosystems deserving legal protection as a unique and irreplaceable treasure. Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation, 20(3), 185–196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pecon.2022.06.002
Haque, M. I., & Basak, R. (2017). Land cover change detection using GIS and remote sensing techniques: A spatio-temporal study on Tanguar Haor, Sunamganj, Bangladesh. The Egyptian Journal of Remote Sensing and Space Science, 20(2), 251–263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrs.2016.12.003
Hussain, N., & Hasibul, I. M. (2017). The Impact of spatial changes of wetlands on Bio-Diversity: A Geo-Spatial Study on Tanguar Haor- Ramsar Site, Bangladesh. Journal of Wetlands Environmental Management, 5(2), 34. https://doi.org/10.20527/jwem.v5i2.142
Kennedy, V., Greeson, P. E., Clark, J. R., & Clark, J. E. (1981). Wetland Functions and Values: the state of our understanding. Estuaries, 4(4), 388. https://doi.org/10.2307/1352167
Kundu, S., Kundu, B., Rana, N. K., & Mahato, S. (2024). Wetland degradation and its impacts on livelihoods and sustainable development goals: An overview. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 48, 419–434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2024.05.024
Mahgoub, Y. (2021). Sustainability of Tourism Development in the city of Ain-Sukhna, Egypt. Journal of Contemporary Urban Affairs, 6(1), 13–22. https://doi.org/10.25034/ijcua.2022.v6n1-2
Meng, W., He, M., Hu, B., Mo, X., Li, H., Liu, B., & Wang, Z. (2017). Status of wetlands in China: A review of extent, degradation, issues and recommendations for improvement. Ocean & Coastal Management, 146, 50–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2017.06.003
Mitsch, W. J., Bernal, B., Nahlik, A. M., Mander, Ü., Zhang, L., Anderson, C. J., Jørgensen, S. E., & Brix, H. (2012). Wetlands, carbon, and climate change. Landscape Ecology, 28(4), 583–597. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-012-9758-8
Mosisa, G. B., Bedadi, B., Dalle, G., & Tassie, N. (2025). Nature-based solutions for urban climate resilience: implementation, contribution, and effectiveness. Nature-Based Solutions, 8, 100245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nbsj.2025.100245
Pandey, K., Kumar, S., Sekar, K. C., & Roy, C. (2025). Vetiver grass as a nature based solution for soil and water conservation in the Garhwal Himalaya. Discover Sustainability, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-02014-x
Pfirrmann, B., & Seitz, R. (2019). Ecosystem services of restored oyster reefs in a Chesapeake Bay tributary: abundance and foraging of estuarine fishes. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 628, 155–169. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13097
Pienaah, C. K., Kansanga, M. M., Arku, G., & Luginaah, I. (2025). Community-led nature-based solutions for enhancing climate change preparedness and resilience in semi-arid environments. World Development Sustainability, 7, 100237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wds.2025.100237
Rumon, M. D. H., Islam, S., & Afroj, S. (2025). Identification of Land Cover Changes of the Tanguar Haor over the Last 40 Years Using Landsat Satellite Image in GIS. In Advances in engineering research/Advances in Engineering Research (pp. 408–416). https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-884-4_49
Salimi, M., Kafi, M., & Khansefid, M. (2025). Advancing Zero-Carbon Cities through Urban Green Infrastructure in Karaj, Iran. Journal of Contemporary Urban Affairs, 9(2), 566–583. https://doi.org/10.25034/ijcua.2025.v9n2-12
Santos, E. (2025). Nature-Based solutions for water management in Europe: what works, what does not, and what’s next? Water, 17(15), 2193. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17152193
Satrya, I. D. G., Kaihatu, T. S., Budidharmanto, L. P., Karya, D. F., & Rusadi, N. W. P. (2023). The role of ecotourism in preserving environmental awareness, cultural and natural attractiveness for promoting local communities in Bali, Indonesia. Journal of Eastern European and Central Asian Research (JEECAR), 10(7), 1063–1075. https://doi.org/10.15549/jeecar.v10i7.1386
Sultana, M. A., Pandit, D., Barman, S. K., Tikadar, K. K., Tasnim, N., Fagun, I. A., Hussain, M. A., & Kunda, M. (2022). A review of fish diversity, decline drivers, and management of the Tanguar Haor ecosystem: A globally recognized Ramsar site in Bangladesh. Heliyon, 8(11), e11875. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11875
Weaver, D. B., & Lawton, L. J. (2007). Twenty years on: The state of contemporary ecotourism research. Tourism Management, 28(5), 1168–1179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2007.03.004
Wood, K. A., Jupe, L. L., Aguiar, F. C., Collins, A. M., Davidson, S. J., Freeman, W., Kirkpatrick, L., Magalhães, T. L., McKinley, E., Nuno, A., Pagès, J. F., Petruzzella, A., Pritchard, D., Reeves, J. P., Thomaz, S. M., Thornton, S. A., Yamashita, H., & Newth, J. L. (2024). A global systematic review of the cultural ecosystem services provided by wetlands. Ecosystem Services, 70, 101673. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2024.101673
Yan, Y., Gan, X., Zhao, Y., Liao, Q., & Huang, C. (2024). Wetland Landscape Dynamics and Multi-Functional Assessment of Wuhan City, China. Water, 16(20), 2914. https://doi.org/10.3390/w16202914
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Upama Talukder
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
