Enhanced Coastal Fisheries in Bangladesh (ECOFISH II) Activity: Key Results and Outcomes

Abstract

ECOFISH II is a five-year project (2019-2024) funded by USAID and implemented by WorldFish Bangladesh in partnership with the Department of Fisheries (DoF). The project aims to enhance the social and ecological resilience of coastal and marine fisheries in key areas, including the Zone of Resilience (ZoR) in Cox's Bazar, the Meghna River Estuary (MRE) in Patuakhali and Barguna, and the Nijhum Dwip Marine Protected Area (MPA). The project focuses on sustaining fisheries productivity, conserving biodiversity, and supporting the livelihoods of 15,000 artisanal fishing households through scientific data generation, adaptive co-management, and policy support. Additionally, ECOFISH II addresses the environmental and social impacts of the Rohingya refugee crisis on natural resources and fishing communities along the Teknaf–Cox's Bazar coastline. The ECOFISH II brings tangible and intangible outcomes in enhancing the social and ecological resilience of coastal communities. Engaging 72,000 individuals, the project has promoted biodiversity conservation, led ecosystem health initiatives, and reached 1.33 million people with awareness campaigns. With 45,000 households adopting income-generating technologies, ECOFISH II has improved 425,586 hectares of biologically significant areas and strengthened household resilience through training, nutrition, business, and savings, demonstrating a significant impact on both environmental conservation and community livelihoods.