History & Background
Spanning parts of Moulvibazar and Sylhet districts, Hakaluki Haor is a Ramsar-listed wetland comprising more than 200 interconnected beels (lakes) that together form the largest single wetland system in Bangladesh, supporting tens of thousands of migratory birds from Siberia and the Himalayas each winter alongside a vital freshwater fishery for surrounding communities. Decades of over-fishing and unregulated hunting led to significant ecological decline by the 1990s, prompting community-based co-management programs that have since worked to restore fish stocks and protect bird habitats.