Arya News - The photography exhibition “Rivers and Birds”, held at the National Museum in Dhaka, brings together Bangladesh`s interconnected natural environments into focus – examining their ecological significance and the growing threats to their survival.
DHAKA – Bangladesh’s rivers have shaped its geography, economy and cultural identity for centuries. The Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers systems sustain an extensive delta, supporting wetlands, floodplains, forests and coastal ecosystems. These habitats also provide essential breeding and feeding grounds for numerous bird species. The photography exhibition “Rivers and Birds”, held at the Bangladesh National Museum in Dhaka, brought these interconnected natural environments into focus, examining their ecological significance and the growing threats to their survival.
Organised by environmental organisation Dhoritri Rokhhay Amra (DHORA), the four-day exhibition opened on October 3 at the museum’s Nalini Kanta Bhattashali Gallery. It featured 170 photographs, comprising 44 river photographs by documentary photographer and photojournalism educator Abir Abdullah and 126 bird photographs by wildlife photographer Ansar Uddin Khan Pathan. The collection documented Bangladesh’s natural diversity while drawing attention to the environmental pressures affecting its rivers and wildlife.
Educator Abir Abdullah’s photographs explored the country’s waterways through landscapes, riverine livelihoods and scenes of environmental change.
Abdullah’s photographs explored the country’s waterways through landscapes, riverine livelihoods and scenes of environmental change. “Sailing Boats of Bangladesh”, photographed in the Ganges-Brahmaputra river system, captures the relationship between traditional navigation and the country’s extensive network of waterways. The presence of sailing vessels within the broader river landscape highlights the continuing role of rivers in transportation and everyday life. His photographs also address the human consequences of changing river conditions, including erosion, flooding and displacement.
The Naf River carries distinct historical and humanitarian significance. Its location along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border made it a route taken by Rohingya refugees fleeing persecution in Myanmar. Photographs of the river therefore evoke questions of migration, displacement and the relationship between geography and human experience. Across Abdullah’s collection, the waterways emerge as ecological systems whose condition directly affects communities living along their banks.
Pathan’s photographs shift attention to the biodiversity sustained by these aquatic environments. Images of the red avadavat, white-throated kingfisher and white-breasted waterhen document the distinctive colours, markings and physical characteristics of different bird species. Through close observation of plumage, posture and habitat, the photographs demonstrate the diversity of Bangladesh’s avian population. Their significance also lies in highlighting the environments on which these species depend, particularly wetlands and riverbanks threatened by pollution, encroachment and habitat loss.
Through close observation of plumage, posture and habitat, the photographs demonstrate the diversity of Bangladesh’s avian population.
The exhibition was inaugurated by Shaikh Faridul Islam, State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The opening programme also featured a discussion at the museum’s Kabi Sufia Kamal Auditorium, attended by representatives of environmental organisations, river conservation advocates and ornithologists, including Enam Ul Haque, founder of the Bangladesh Bird Club.
Discussions highlighted the responsibilities of public institutions and citizens in protecting natural ecosystems.
The exhibition’s central concern was the dependence of birds on healthy rivers and wetlands. The degradation of these habitats threatens wildlife populations and weakens the ecological processes that support natural regeneration. By documenting both the diversity of Bangladesh’s natural environments and the pressures they face, “Rivers and Birds” presented photography as a means of environmental documentation and public engagement.
The exhibition concluded on October 6, leaving visitors with a central conservation message: when rivers and wetlands disappear, birds and other wildlife lose their habitats, and the country loses part of its capacity to heal and renew itself.