The Eastern Meghna Delta is a highly dynamic coastal wetland system covering approximately 140,600 hectares along the eastern margin of the Meghna River delta in Bangladesh, spanning parts of Barisal and Chattogram divisions. The site comprises a shifting mosaic of intertidal mudflats, sandflats, salt flats, shallow marine waters, estuarine channels, coastal lagoons, and mangroves at an early successional stage. Constant processes of sediment deposition and erosion give rise to low‑lying islands known as chars, notably Ganguirar Char, which provides highly productive feeding and roosting habitats for migratory waterbirds. The site is of outstanding global importance for the Endangered Indian Skimmer and regularly supports around one percent of the global population of the Critically Endangered Spoon‑billed Sandpiper. Ganguirar Char has been designated as a Flyway Network Site under the East Asian–Australasian Flyway Partnership.

 

The Eastern Meghna Delta delivers essential ecosystem services, particularly fisheries that sustain nationally important Hilsha shad stocks and coastal protection functions that support adjacent communities. The delta’s shallow waters and intertidal habitats also store significant amounts of coastal and marine carbon. However, the site faces growing pressure from agricultural expansion and intensification, unregulated settlement and industrial development, overfishing, and increasing sedimentation. Fishing communities in the wider Meghna Delta have limited livelihood alternatives and constrained access to credit, making them particularly vulnerable to environmental change and management restrictions. Strengthening sustainable fisheries management, improving wetland governance, restoring degraded intertidal habitats, and establishing targeted fish sanctuaries and biodiversity management frameworks offer key opportunities to safeguard threatened species such as the Indian Skimmer and Irrawaddy Dolphin, while supporting long‑term livelihood resilience.