USAID Bangladesh Ecotourism and Conservation Alliance

• Client: United States Agency for International Development
• Partners: Journeys Plus, Conservation Capital, and Miles Partnership
• Project Duration: November 1, 2021 - October 31, 2024

Project Overview 

SAID-Bangladesh, in partnership with the Bangladesh Ecotourism and Conservation Alliance (BECA) and the Government of Bangladesh, focused its interventions in and around one of Bangladesh’s most iconic tourism destinations and arguably its most important protected area—the Sundarbans, the world’s largest remaining mangrove forest. This critical area supported economically important fisheries, coastal communities, and the iconic Bengal tigers. The Sundarbans accounted for about 40 percent of forested land in Bangladesh, and the surrounding region was home to millions of Bangladeshis who relied on the mangroves for food, livelihoods, and protection against cyclones. Continued poaching and trafficking, human-wildlife conflict, deforestation, oil spills, and unsustainable resource extraction threaten biodiversity in the Sundarbans and elsewhere. Increasing poverty due to severe impacts of climate change and unregulated tourism can further affect the biodiversity of Sundarbans. The Sundarban forest spans the border with India and is within 100 kilometers of both the Indian megalopolis of Kolkata and the Bangladeshi city of Khulna, where demand for natural resources produced within the Sundarbans is high.

The overall vision of this program was to capitalize on the country’s natural, cultural, and historical assets to develop a more inclusive tourism value chain that integrated local communities and maximized conservation benefits. The program’s goal was to develop an inclusive tourism value chain that leveraged Bangladesh’s natural and cultural endowments in and around Key Biodiversity Areas. It focused on four primary objectives:

• Enhance target areas’ competitiveness as tourism destinations;
• Improve tourism governance and natural resource management for targeted Key Biodiverse Areas (KBAs);
• Increase community environmental, economic, and basic human service (such as livelihoods, water, sanitation, health) benefits as a result of a better managed and more inclusive tourism sector; and
• Increase tourism-related investments and market linkages in targeted areas.

Major Activities and Results 

The Activity achieved significant milestones that contribute to both conservation and community development in the Greater Sundarbans region, strengthening local governance and sustainable tourism practices, and facilitating public-private partnerships that have fostered resilience and capacity among communities and enterprises. 

• Sundarbans Ecotourism Master Plan: Developed and submitted the policy document to the Forest Department, outlining a 20-year vision (2025-2045) with 6 strategic objectives, 8 regulations, and 43 strategies for ecotourism.
• Greater Sundarbans EcoTourism Society (GSETS): Launched the first public-private DMO in Bangladesh to manage and promote regional ecotourism, ensuring long-term sustainability of key project interventions. 
• Ecotourism Best Practices Program: Developed a pledge and set of localized industry standards and market incentives for sustainable practices, boosting enterprise marketability through the GSETS tourism information website. 178 businesses have signed the pledge to date.
• EcoGuide Training and Certification: Empowered 280 local guides with environmental conservation and customer service training, providing job creation and promoting responsible tourism.
• Sundarbans EcoVillage Network: Created a program for community-based tourism combining homestays with authentic artisan products and experiences to boost local cultural exchange and economic benefits.
• Digital Marketing Infrastructure Support: Provided technical assistance to 147 small tourism enterprises, including updating 89 Google My Business profiles with professional 360-degree and Google Trekker photos.
• PPP Concession Facilitation: Facilitated discussions and improved investment readiness, preparing prospectus and tendering documents for hotel and land development at Mongla Tourism Port through government concessions.
• Public-Private Collaboration: Enhanced cooperation between Ministries and government offices, improving policy frameworks for sustainable tourism investments,  fostering public-private dialogue and engagement, and redefining ecotourism as a conservation tool and collaborative approach to biodiversity protection.