Title: The Legal and Institutional Framework of Environmental Governance in Bangladesh: A Critical Review
Authors: Mst. Ruby Akther
Volume: 10
Issue: 7
Pages: 277-287
Publication Date: 2026/07/28
Abstract:
Environmental governance refers to the laws, institutions, and processes that a society uses to protect natural resources and manage activities affecting the environment. This paper examines the legal and institutional framework of environmental governance in Bangladesh, highlights the salient features of important laws and policies, identifies the main institutions involved in the implementation of the laws and policies, and analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the existing institutional framework. Although the statutory framework is broadly based with more than one hundred laws directly or indirectly addressing the environment in Bangladesh, the review identifies the presence of several institutional capacity gaps that limit its effectiveness. The paper shows that the problem of environmental governance in Bangladesh is not so much with the design of laws as with the institutional capacity with which to implement them, suggesting the need to enhance the technical and manpower capabilities of the Department of Environment, adapt the outdated laws, and increase the coordination between the different environmental institutions in the country.