CHT ethnic communities face climatic pressure
Climatic change, environmental degeneration, deforestation, monoculture plantations and resource extraction are creating pressure on ethnic communities in Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), according to a youth-led research conducted under a UNESCO-supported initiative.
The research findings suggest that ethnic communities remain vulnerable due to their livelihoods, cultural practices and everyday lives are closely connected to natural ecosystems.
While traditional ecological knowledge continues to play a critical role in helping communities adapt to changing environmental conditions, these knowledge systems themselves are increasingly under threat.
The research also highlighted broader social dimensions, including the disproportionate impacts faced by the ethnic women due to limited access to resources and decision-making spaces.
The findings emerged from a “Youth As Researchers (YAR)” initiative supported by UNESCO in partnership with Maleya Foundation and Zabarang Kalyan Samity.
Through the initiative, ethnic youth researchers explored climate impacts and adaptation practices within their communities, bringing local experiences and traditional ecological knowledge into broader climate discussions.
The research findings were presented at an event in Chattogram, marking the closing of the YAR initiative, said a release here. The session brought together policymakers, academics, development partners, ethnic leaders, civil society representatives, community members and youth researchers to engage in dialogue around climate impacts, traditional ecological knowledge and locally driven adaptation practices.
The event was attended by Divisional Commissioner of Chattogram Dr Md Ziauddin, Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to Bangladesh Dr Susan Vize and Barrister Raja Devasish Roy, Chief of the Chakma Circle.
The initiative brought together five youth research teams from Chakma, Marma, Mro, Tripura and Tanchangya communities across the CHT.
Each team explored a distinct climate-related challenge affecting their communities through field-based and community-led research.
The Chakma team examined youth-led climate adaptation strategies in Rangamati, while the Marma team documented traditional survival practices alongside emerging adaptation challenges.
The Mro team investigated the impacts of climate change on natural resources used in producing the traditional musical instrument ‘Plung’, highlighting implications for cultural preservation.
The Tripura team explored the effects of climate change on marginalised ethnic women and their adaptation strategies, while the Tanchangya team examined growing water scarcity associated with stone extraction and the expansion of rubber and shegun plantations.
Together, the studies demonstrated how climate change is reshaping ethnic livelihoods, ecosystems and cultural practices in interconnected ways across communities.
The YAR initiative is a global UNESCO framework adapted in Bangladesh to strengthen ethnic youth leadership through research, climate advocacy and community engagement.
The initiative began in February 2025 following a national consultation.
