Chattogram: Climate change, environmental degradation, and human activities such as deforestation and resource extraction are intensifying pressure on ethnic communities in Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), reveals a youth-led research conducted under a UNESCO-supported initiative. The study highlights the growing challenges faced by these communities, whose livelihoods and cultural practices are deeply intertwined with natural ecosystems.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the research underscores the vulnerability of ethnic communities in the CHT, emphasizing that their traditional ecological knowledge, crucial for adapting to environmental changes, is increasingly at risk. Broader social dimensions were also explored, including the significant impacts on ethnic women who face limited access to resources and decision-making spaces.
The findings emerged from a ‘Youth As Researchers (YAR)’ initiative supported by UNESCO in collaboration with Maleya Foundation and Zabarang Kalyan Samity. Through this initiative, ethnic youth researchers investigated climate impacts and adaptation practices within their communities, integrating local experiences into broader climate discussions.
The research findings were presented at an event in Chattogram, marking the conclusion of the YAR initiative. The session gathered policymakers, academics, development partners, ethnic leaders, civil society representatives, community members, and youth researchers to discuss climate impacts and locally driven adaptation practices. Notable attendees included Divisional Commissioner of Chattogram Dr. Md Ziauddin, UNESCO Representative to Bangladesh Dr. Susan Vize, and Barrister Raja Devasish Roy, Chief of the Chakma Circle.
The initiative involved five youth research teams from Chakma, Marma, Mro, Tripura, and Tanchangya communities in the CHT. Each team focused on a specific climate-related challenge affecting their community through field-based and community-led research. The Chakma team addressed youth-led climate adaptation strategies in Rangamati, while the Marma team documented traditional survival practices and emerging adaptation challenges.
The Mro team examined climate change impacts on natural resources used for producing the traditional musical instrument ‘Plung’, highlighting cultural preservation concerns. The Tripura team studied the effects of climate change on marginalized ethnic women and their adaptation strategies, and the Tanchangya team focused on water scarcity linked to stone extraction and plantation expansion.
Collectively, the studies demonstrated the interconnected ways climate change is reshaping ethnic livelihoods, ecosystems, and cultural practices. The YAR initiative, a global UNESCO framework tailored for Bangladesh, aims to strengthen ethnic youth leadership through research, climate advocacy, and community engagement. The initiative began in February 2025 following a national consultation.