Hatiya Island, including Nijhum Dwip National Park, is a coastal wetland system covering approximately 16,300 hectares in the outer estuary of the Meghna River in Noakhali District, Chattogram Division. The site includes the southern coast of Hatiya Island and the adjacent, rapidly accreting islands of Nijhum Dwip and Domar Char. Key habitats comprise extensive intertidal mudflats, sandflats, salt flats, mangroves, coastal lagoons, estuarine channels, and shallow marine waters. These habitats support rich feeding and roosting grounds for migratory waterbirds, and the site is of exceptional importance for the Endangered Indian Skimmer, regularly supporting more than 10 percent of its global population. Nijhum Dwip National Park was designated in 2001 and later recognized as a Flyway Network Site under the East Asian–Australasian Flyway Partnership, with the Bangladesh Forest Department serving as the primary management authority.

 

The wetland complex provides critical ecosystem services, including global climate regulation, flood and storm hazard regulation, and fisheries that support the livelihoods of approximately 30,000 people living on Nijhum Dwip and adjacent parts of Hatiya Island. Fishing is the dominant livelihood, complemented by small‑scale agriculture, livestock grazing, river transport, and local trade. However, the site faces pressure from expanding commercial and residential development, declining fish stocks, and climate‑related hazards. While seasonal fishing bans have contributed to the recovery of key fisheries such as Hilsha, they have also increased short‑term livelihood vulnerability for fishing communities with limited alternative income options. There is strong potential to strengthen sustainable fisheries management, expand fish sanctuaries, restore degraded mangroves, and develop carefully managed, community‑based ecotourism to enhance biodiversity conservation while improving livelihood resilience and coastal protection.