Land Use Land Cover Change of Mymensingh District and Lessons Learned

Over the past three decades, Mymensingh’s landscape has been quietly but profoundly reshaped. Fields have expanded, settlements have surged, and once-abundant waterbodies and green spaces have steadily disappeared. This position paper traces those changes from 1990 to 2024, revealing how everyday decisions about farming, housing, and land conversion are collectively altering the district’s ecological foundations. What emerges is not a distant environmental concern, but a story with immediate implications for food security, water availability, livelihoods, and resilience in one of Bangladesh’s most resource-rich regions.

The timing of this analysis is critical. Rapid urban growth and agricultural pressure are colliding with shrinking wetlands, declining groundwater, and the erosion of traditional homestead vegetation—systems that quietly sustain fisheries, microclimates, and rural well-being. The paper highlights a gap between how land is being used and how nature’s limits are being accounted for in local planning and governance. By grounding long-term satellite evidence in today’s policy debates, it invites decision-makers, journalists, and civil society leaders to rethink land use not as a technical exercise, but as a question of rights, balance, and the future viability of Mymensingh’s natural systems.

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This paper outlines our institutional stance, supported by rigorous analysis and a strategic framework for addressing key policy challenges.

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