Bangladesh’s 710 km coastline, shaped by the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna delta, supports vast intertidal mudflats, sandbars, estuaries and newly emerging islands that are among the most dynamic ecosystems in Asia. These coastal wetlands provide critical habitat for thousands of migratory waterbirds each winter, including many globally threatened species, while also sustaining local livelihoods. Yet these landscapes are under growing pressure from development, climate-driven change, habitat alteration and human disturbance, making timely and science-based conservation action essential.

SCOPE’s Coastal Wetland Programme aims to generate robust, long-term scientific evidence to identify priority sites, understand ecosystem processes and detect changes in waterbird populations and habitats over time. By combining systematic field surveys, remote sensing, ecological research and policy engagement, the programme works to reveal where birds occur, why they use particular sites, and how environmental change is influencing their survival.