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Facts: A remarkable decline of the Buffalo herding in Bangladesh

By
Zulker Naeen
-
0
Buffalo
Young buffalo herd was taken recently but salinity in Kutubdia by Mohammad Minhaj Uddin

We came up with key findings of a report Buffalo herding suffers in coastal Bangladesh as soil and water grow saltier, recently published in The Earth Journalism Network. 

Buffaloes are in an extensive decline in the coastal regions. The key reason is this decline includes diseases, cyclones, infertility, malnutrition, and shortages of grazing land. Most Buffalo herders have converted their grazing lands into salt fields. 

The Problem

People are moving away from herding buffaloes. According to the Bangladesh Agriculture Survey, from 2003 to 2019, the number of buffaloes declined by at least 51%. In the last 15 years, milk-producing buffaloes have fallen by around 60%. Now the contribution of buffalo milk to national milk production fell from 4% to 2%.

The Facts

To analyze the facts, it found that, increasing salinity, development activities and extreme weather conditions corroded the grazing land, making it hard for native buffaloes to survive. Buffalo herders have turned to producing salt, causing a decline in grazing land for buffaloes.

Why the decline

Around 75-80% of buffaloes in Bangladesh are raised in coastal and haor areas, both of which are highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. Increasing salinity has caused an acute shortage of drinking water for buffaloes and, consequently, a gradual decline in their numbers. In addition, it is one of the main reasons for the rise in diseases in buffaloes.

Anthrax, black quarter, hemorrhagic septicemia, and foot and mouth disease are also among the reasons meat and milk production have declined, and people are moving away from herding buffaloes.

A commercial shift

Buffalo has a significant connection to 4.6 crore coastal people’s lives and livelihoods. Coastal people mainly depend on buffalo rearing to meet their demand for protein and employment. Consequently, the sharp decline in the buffalo population has caused people to shift from buffalo rearing to other professions such as salt cultivation, day labour and fishing. Around 90% of herders are cultivating salt on their land now. Salt cultivation in Kutubdia has increased six-fold from 1990-2020.

Efforts to stop further decline are insufficient.

The Department of Livestock Services has tried to address the decline in the buffalo population through various schemes. The efforts rely on artificial insemination without prioritizing the breed of native buffalo and the threat of increased soil salinity.  

What kind of adaptation project should be for buffalo?  

Now it is time to take a buffalo adaptation project under the changing climate conditions, especially in coastal and haor regions. Only crossbreeds won’t stop the decline in the buffalo population. Unless taking conservation and improvement programmes, indigenous buffaloes will not survive. The offshore islands do not provide the required environment for the crossbreeds. 

The alarming decrease in the buffalo population needs to be studied urgently to determine the connection between the declining buffalo population and climate change. Such conservation and improvement programmes should undertake to save our native buffaloes from going extinct. 

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About Zulker Naeen

Zulker Naeen is a freelance journalist, covers stories of climate change-induced food insecurity, natural calamities, and migration. As a citizen of one of the most climate-vulnerable nations, Zulker focuses his work on climate change. Zulker works with the Climate Tracker to report climate resiliency for vulnerable women and access to climate finance. 

He involves in the Climate Tracker South Asia network, which improves the environmental consciousness of youth.

He is also one of the Bangladeshi to win the South Asia Fellowship under Climate Tracker, is a global media network closely works on Climate Change. 

Zulker has completed the Train the Trainer: Effective Climate Change Communication, an initiative to convert this workshop resource into replicable modules, to empower qualified journalists to deliver training on the major climate journalism topics, and to establish a certification process for journalists. 

Zulker has a master’s degree in Communications and a bachelor’s degree in Media Studies and Journalism from the University of Liberal Arts, Bangladesh.

He has developed courses with the support of other Climate Tracker staff. As a young climate advocate, his fellowship aims to share knowledge of climate change.

Facts: A remarkable decline of the Buffalo herding in Bangladesh

A journalist’s guide to biodiversity access and benefit-sharing

By
Zulker Naeen
-
0
Biodiversity
A journalist’s guide to biodiversity access and benefit-sharing.

There’s a multi-billion-dollar yearly trade in medicines, foodstuffs and industrial products derived from plants, animals, fungi and bacteria. But many such products have been commercialized without any of the profits returning to the countries and communities whose biodiversity and traditional knowledge made the innovation possible. And in some cases, biological resources have been accessed illegally.

Speakers:

Krystyna Swiderska | Principal Researcher, International Institute for Environment and Development

Alejandro Lago | Manager of the UNDP GEF Global ABS Project

Discussion: Speakers briefly discussed the following topics.

  1. What is Biopiracy?
  2. Commercialization of biological materials without any of the profits returning to the countries and communities.
  3. Illegal access to biological resources.
  4. Nagoya Protocol — to ensure legal access and guarantee that any benefits arising from the use of genetic resources are shared fairly and equitably.
  5. The impact of the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) and national ABS laws/policies.

Topics

Biodiversity | Journalism Skills | Policies and Conventions

Tags

Biodiversity | Equity | Policies and Conventions| Indigenous Peoples

Indigenous knowledge

Beating the Biopirates

There is a multi-billion-dollar yearly trade in medicines, foodstuffs and industrial products derived from plants, animals, fungi and bacteria. However, many such products have commercialised without any profits returning to the countries and communities whose biodiversity and traditional knowledge made the innovation possible. And in some cases, biological resources have been accessed illegally.

That is why, in 2010, parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) reached a new agreement — called the Nagoya Protocol — to ensure legal accesses and guarantee that any benefits arising from the use of genetic resources are shared fairly and equitably. 

But what exactly is Access and benefit-sharing?

What are countries doing to meet their CBD commitments and ensure that companies meet their legal obligations? Are benefits flowing where they should?

Webinar Summary:

This discussion described the impact of the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) and national ABS policies. 

Specifically, this legal framework is being used by the private sector, researchers, indigenous peoples, and local communities from 27 countries to develop innovative products to implement the SDGs.

What is Biopiracy?

Biopiracy means the unethical or unlawful appropriation or commercial exploitation of biological materials (such as medicinal plant extracts) that are native to a particular country or territory without providing fair financial compensation to the people or government of that country or territory.

Any case?

Jack Lo Lau, a Peruvian journalist, explained how Chinese Businessmen took maca powder from Peru without permission.

In the early 2000s, what has happened with maca is not China’s fault; it is Peru’s fault for letting their products leave the country and not protecting themselves.

About Zulker Naeen

Zulker Naeen is a freelance journalist, covers stories of climate change-induced food insecurity, natural calamities, and migration. As a citizen of one of the most climate-vulnerable nations, Zulker focuses his work on climate change. Zulker works with the Climate Tracker to report climate resiliency for vulnerable women and access to climate finance. 

He involves in the Climate Tracker South Asia network, which improves the environmental consciousness of youth. 

He is also one of the Bangladeshi to win the South Asia Fellowship under Climate Tracker, is a global media network closely works on Climate Change. 

Zulker has completed the Train the Trainer: Effective Climate Change Communication, an initiative to convert this workshop resource into replicable modules, to empower qualified journalists to deliver training on the major climate journalism topics, and to establish a certification process for journalists. 

Zulker has a master’s degree in Communications and a bachelor’s degree in Media Studies and Journalism from the University of Liberal Arts, Bangladesh.

He has developed courses with the support of other Climate Tracker staff. As a young climate advocate, his fellowship aims to share knowledge of climate change.

A journalist's guide to biodiversity access and benefit-sharing

Beating the biopirates: A journalist’s guide to biodiversity access and benefit-sharing.

By
Zulker Naeen
-
0
Biodiversity
Beating the biopirates: A journalist's guide to biodiversity access and benefit-sharing.

Beating the biopirates: A journalist’s guide to biodiversity access and benefit-sharing. 

There is a multi-billion-dollar yearly trade in medicines, foodstuffs and industrial products derived from plants, animals, fungi and bacteria. However, many such products have commercialised without any profits returning to the countries and communities whose biodiversity and traditional knowledge made the innovation possible. And in some cases, biological resources have been accessed illegally.

That is why, in 2010, parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) reached a new agreement — called the Nagoya Protocol — to ensure legal accesses and guarantee that any benefits arising from the use of genetic resources are shared fairly and equitably. 

But what exactly is Access and benefit-sharing?

What are countries doing to meet their CBD commitments and ensure that companies meet their legal obligations? Are benefits flowing where they should?

Speakers

Krystyna Swiderska | Principal Researcher, International Institute for Environment and Development

Alejandro Lago | Manager of the UNDP GEF Global ABS Project

Webinar Summary:

This discussion described the impact of the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) and national ABS policies. 

Specifically, this legal framework is being used by the private sector, researchers, indigenous peoples, and local communities from 27 countries to develop innovative products to implement the SDGs.

What is Biopiracy?

Biopiracy means the unethical or unlawful appropriation or commercial exploitation of biological materials (such as medicinal plant extracts) that are native to a particular country or territory without providing fair financial compensation to the people or government of that country or territory.

Any case?

Jack Lo Lau, a Peruvian journalist, explained how Chinese Businessmen took maca powder from Peru without permission.

In the early 2000s, what has happened with maca is not China’s fault; it is Peru’s fault for letting their products leave the country and not protecting themselves.

Read More:

Fighting for life: Bangladesh shrimp farmers destitute in wake of the cyclone.

Cyclone Amphan Emergency relief project report.

On the brink of destitution: Covid and climate change push Bangladeshi farmers back into poverty

Shrimp Culture: a chaotic trend of aquaculture in the coastal region of Bangladesh

The aquaculture practice in the southwest coastal area is traditional; however, a rapid expansion of shrimp culture took place at the advent of commercial shrimp cultivating due to higher economic returns. 

Shrimp cultivating is one of the few options for the economic development of the coastal region of Bangladesh. 

The aquaculture practice in the southwest coastal area is traditional; however, a rapid expansion of shrimp farming took place at the advent of commercial shrimp farming due to higher economic returns. 

It is a potential adaptation option for increasing salinity and other environmental stresses. The government has also promoted shrimp as a necessary climate change adaptation option in its national climate policy.

However, extensive shrimp cultivating is more likely to keep ecosystem harmony with dynamic balance by recycling and feedback mechanisms. Therefore, shrimp farming is also being considered a potential adaptation option to increased salinity in this region. 

Since the shrimp sector of Bangladesh includes more than 15 million people and the majority are small-scale farmers. However, the government is yet to establish well-structured institutional support to promote sustainable shrimp farming in southwest coastal Bangladesh. 

So, this natural and unsystematic shrimp cultivating is gathering impressive discourse because of its negative ecological results. 

Read More on Mangrove:

‘Shield the Mangrove’: The effects of mangrove deforestation in Sindh’s coastal regions.

UAE National Environment Day: 200 mangrove seedlings planted in Sharjah sanctuary.

Forest dept identifies 31 wetlands for conservation. 

Mangroves and coastal protection: A potential triple-win for Bangladesh

Read More

Climate change: Extreme weather reasons massive losses in 2020.

Coral reefs in danger until a radical decrease in greenhouse-gas emissions.

Climate change could cause 63 million migrants in South Asia by 2050

About Zulker Naeen

Zulker Naeen is a freelance journalist, covers stories of climate change-induced food insecurity, natural calamities, and migration. As a citizen of one of the most climate-vulnerable nations, Zulker focuses his work on climate change. He works with the Climate Tracker to report climate resiliency for vulnerable women and access to climate finance.

He involves in the Climate Tracker South Asia network, which improves the environmental consciousness of youth. 

He is also one of the Bangladeshi to win the South Asia Fellowship under Climate Tracker, is a global media network that closely works on Climate Change.

Beating the biopirates: A journalist's guide to biodiversity access and benefit-sharing.

Environment and Climate Change Journalist: Zulker Naeen

By
Zulker Naeen
-
2
Climate Journalism
Is Climate Journalism Course affordable

Zulker Naeen is a freelance journalist, covers stories of climate change-induced food insecurity, natural calamities, and migration. As a citizen of one of the most climate-vulnerable nations, Zulker focuses his work on climate change. He works with the Climate Tracker to report climate resiliency for vulnerable women and access to climate finance. 

He involves in the Climate Tracker South Asia network, which improves the environmental consciousness of youth. 

He is also one of the Bangladeshi to win the South Asia Fellowship under Climate Tracker, is a global media network closely works on Climate Change. 

Zulker has completed the Train the Trainer: Effective Climate Change Communication, an initiative to convert this workshop resource into replicable modules, to empower qualified journalists to deliver training on the major climate journalism topics, and to establish a certification process for journalists. 

Zulker has a master’s degree in Communications and a bachelor’s degree in Media Studies and Journalism from the University of Liberal Arts, Bangladesh.

Zulker Naeen has developed courses with the support of other Climate Tracker staff. As a young climate advocate, his fellowship aims to share knowledge of climate change.

Is Climate Journalism Course affordable in Bangladesh?

Climate Journalism Course is now affordable, unbelievable too. Moreover, this course aims to enhance understanding of climate change impacts on biodiversity.

Fortunately, this online course is for passionate writer and next journalists with limited experience engaging with climate change issues and ecosystem services interactions with biodiversity locally, nationally and internationally.

The course participants assess the climate change-related issues relevant to available articles in biodiversity, identify the topics and then follow appropriate writing style. 

Participants also develop a writing skill to relate the human-climate fact within 1 to 2 months after the training workshop.

Applicants to this training course need not demonstrate prior experience of journalism and how skills gained will be utilized after the workshop.

Communicating Climate Change is to promote knowledge on climate change issues and to cover journalism skills. We’re opening this extensive course to prepare the next climate journalist. 

You may not a subject matter expert, but you will become familiar with the concepts, approaches, and climate journalism staples. 

To promote Climate Journalism in Bangladesh, we’re opening this course on climate change to prepare the next journalist. With this great objective, we will run a three-month campaign to introduce this course among students with an extensive collaboration of the interested partners.

Moreover, this campaign aims to teach students between graduate and post-graduate. That is why; we are emphasizing their pattern of seeking information, to influence them to enrol on this course by ensuring their active participation.

A social media campaign will run to promote this course. University faculty, expert, practitioners, and journalist will engage with this initiative. 

Key objectives of this course:

  1. To give basic knowledge on climate change issues
  2. To guide the participants on climate journalism topics
  3. To launch a certification process for participants who wish to publish an article as a trainee journalist.

A summary of this curriculum—

  • Learning: Climate Change Issues in the context of Bangladesh 
  • Skills Development: Climate Journalism Staples
  • Content Training: Making the Climate-human Link
  • Evaluation: Online Exam
  • Reward: Certification

What the participants will learn

  • Basic Knowledge on Climate Change
  • Climate Issues
  • Climate and Health
  • Climate Change and its impact on Bangladesh
  • Climate Journalism Training
  • Climate Change Communication in Social Media
Environment and Climate Change Journalist: Zulker Naeen

A portfolio of a Brand Designer: Zulker Naeen

By
Zulker Naeen
-
1
Designer
Brand Designer Profile: Zulker Naeen

No matter what kind of business you’re in, you need a brand designer to build a brand. Your brand is what makes you unique.

It’s what sets you apart from the competition and lets your customers know who you are and what you’re. If your brand is Oppo, your brand identity is the “camera phone.”

Designing your brand identity is a key—and because of its strategic approach, it’s not a task you want to tackle on your own. It takes a certain kind of talent, specifically, brand designers to build a brand from the ground up.

If you’re at the very beginning of the branding process, go with a brand designer.

Just, you may plan to launch your brand. If you’re not exactly sure the direction you want to take your brand, it is a great way to get input from a talented brand designer.

Role of Zulker Naeen as a brand designer.

He is a man behind the brand stories.

Zulker Naeen is a brand designer by profession. He is a communication graduate from the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh.

He started his career as a copywriter, shifted his career as a market researcher later on.

Afterwards, as an individual practitioner, he has gathered a diverse knowledge of market research and brand designing.

His diverse portfolio says he is the smart guy behind four of the noted lubricants brands in Bangladesh.

His portfolios are fast-moving consumer goods, energy and power, automotive, and construction.

Google Zulker Naeen to find his extensive portfolio as a brand designer.

Zulker Naeen’s portfolio on Orient Lubricants

Zulker Naeen is looking after Orient Brand for the last five years as a market researcher and brand analyst. He mostly put his focus into brand development as well as its segment development. 

Orient Lubricants, which is the first of its kind to domestic lubricants brand, developed its strategy to reach customers from every segment of our country with competitive price option and variety feature based on the preferred customer.

Portfolio says he has worked closely on Orient Lubix Series, Orient Active Gear Series, Orient Ultima, Orient Ultra, Orient Automax, Orient Max 2, Orient Prima, EGO 4T and so on.

His research team usually analyze the product demand and segmentwise market size. 

Based on their findings, Orient extended its product line-up, with the introduction of various economy litter packs like 0.6 litres, 2liters, and 3liters.

That has enriched the “Orient Brand” with various pack size to be a pioneer of the economy brand in Bangladesh.

Orient is one of the fastest growing lubricant brands here in Bangladesh. It has been catering to the automotive and industrial segments since 2014. 

It has potential in several segments of this market.

Here, Orient has spread its product line-up into the automotive and the industrial oil segment.

Its repertoire of automotive products includes high-performance engine oils for buses, tractors, medium or light commercial vehicles, passenger cars, and two-wheelers.

Millions of users have at one time or another used Orient Lubricants for their purposes.

Orient is the flagship brand of Oriental Oil Company Limited, renowned marketers of several global brands in Bangladesh.

A portfolio of a Brand Designer: Zulker Naeen

Communications Practitioner Profile: Zulker Naeen

By
Zulker Naeen
-
1
Communications
Communications Practitioner Profile: Zulker Naeen

Zulker Naeen is a Head of development of branding and communications in Bangladesh, Veedol International Limited UK. His expertise spans the process for developing a strategic communications plan that embeds the trust of their clients and customers.

Zulker’s know-how and field experience mean he has planned to support their clients in delivery to end-users of trusted solutions for the digital and wireless world.

Zulker Naeen – Head of Branding and Content, Bangladesh, Veedol International Limited UK.

Zulker manages Veedol’s branding, corporate publications and social media. He has been with the company for five years in marketing and communication roles based in Bangladesh and South Asia. Prior to this, he worked in Indruk Communications Limited. Zulker speaks English and Bangla and holds a Masters in Communications.

As a strategic planner of Veedol International Limited UK, how does your company value your social activity?

In Bangladesh and other parts of South Asia, we have been involved in social since late 2016 on a project basis but saw the value to apply to our whole organization and created strategic guidelines in late 2018. As a team, we always follow a campaign-based approach using our blog as the hub for our content. And we have seen the value in terms of awareness and web traffic.

Measuring the effectiveness of social media activity is a focus for corporations now. How does your company track the ROI that its social media activity delivers?

Our objective for social media activity is based on raising awareness for our corporate brand and promoting specific offers such as instant payment, the order in bulk or participatory competition. In terms of awareness, we measure the increased web traffic or followers while campaigns based on webinar inscriptions or whitepaper downloads.

What are the unique benefits of social media over other marketing channels?

Social media is likely to use as part of an integrated marketing campaign and we shouldn’t avoid the other channels. However, it offers many returns in terms of reaching people you couldn’t in a physical context and creating word of mouth, as consumers trust their friends more than a brand’s messages. It is also great for SEO and raising web traffic mostly in light of the latest changes to Google’s search algorithm, which favour frequently updated content-rich sites such as blogs over more static corporate sites.

“Social media needs to be used as part of an integrated marketing campaign”

Is social media integrated into existing marketing strategies? How do you go about social media in a broader marketing strategy?

Social only works well if it is an integrated one into wider activities. So, we work on a series of campaigns to promote the corporate brand and specific solutions where it is just one channel of the marketing mix. The mega campaign could also include a web element, tradeshows, direct emailing, PR, customer magazines and more.

Can you outline a recent marketing initiative that included a social media component? How is your company innovating in this area?

One of our high growth areas is insecure access to existing distribution networks. It is a noisy market and many influencers such as bloggers, consultants, analysts etc.

To increase the engagement, we used our blog, Twitter and agency to reach out to influencers to crowdsource the survey questions. The results became a series of blog posts and a whitepaper, which is for lead generation.

I do not believe the tools exist to track how social contacts become sales.

Is social media offering corporations real commercial opportunities to sell their goods?

There have been examples of consumer goods manufacturers such as Apple selling iPhone via Twitter. However, we work in a complex B2B environment with long sales cycles. So far, we do not have any commercial objective behind our activities – this may change later. Usually, we do not believe the tools exist to track how social contacts become sales.

Communications Practitioner Profile: Zulker Naeen
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