Ecological Landscape

Climate Technology Park primarily embodies modelled ecosystems representing major Agro-ecological zones of Bangladesh that are increasingly being affected by climate change events. The goal of such thematization of the park is to demonstrate various climate-smart adaptive and mitigation technologies in their respective ecological context. On achieving so, visitors will be guided sequentially through the following model Agro-ecological zones to gain the first-hand interactive experience with real installations and their live demonstrations:

Coastal Zone: Coastal Zone of the park represents the vast southern dynamic coastal belt of Bangladesh. To resemble this deltaic character, this zone has been developed within mutually reciprocating land and water edges of the park. The major features of this zone include water and salinity adaptive agricultural systems and technologies, appropriate climate-smart technologies, climate-resilient model rural homestead for coastal belts, demonstration mangrove forest, audio-visual zonal-learning hub, etc. The journey through the coastal zone is an adventurous one that requires visitors to travel and experience terrestrial, transitional, and aquatic systems – representing the typical characteristics of coastal regions.

Drought-prone Zone/Drought Zone: The Drought-prone Zone or the Drought Zone represents the North-western Barind Tract and Central Terraced Landscape Regions of Bangladesh. Upon entering the zone, visitors would experience a central, large agricultural zone mostly devoid of large trees or water-bodies. The major features of this zone are drought-tolerant agricultural systems and technologies, climate-resilient model rural mud house and homestead, food forest, audio-visual zonal-learning hub, etc. Visitors can also access to the iconic Vertical-Garden Tower from this zone to catch refreshing vantage point views of most of the greeneries, lake, and water-bodies of the Climate Technology Park from varying heights.

Hill Zone: The Hill Zone represents the scenic yet vulnerable hilly regions of the Chittagong Hill Tracts and Sylhet Division. The hilly regions of Bangladesh fall within globally important Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot. Here, visitors can learn about utilizing hills both for forestry and agriculture in an environment-friendly way on a demonstration hill. The zone also includes climate-smart technologies, climate-resilient indigenous model stilt-house, hill forest, Agro-forest, and an open-air green-amphitheatre from which, one can enjoy a charming view of watery Haor Zone at the foot-hill. The zone shares a common audio-visual zonal-learning hub with the Haor Zone and a wind turbine with both the Haor Zone and Char Zone.

Haor Zone: The Haor Zone represents the hydrologically transient basin area of North-eastern Bangladesh. This zone represents a seasonally variable wet area where agriculture can take place. One can also experience wetland and swamp associated plantation at this zone. Additionally, this zone includes flood-tolerant agricultural systems and technologies, appropriate climate-smart technologies, model floating house, climate-resilient model Haor house, etc. Haor Zone together with associated Hill Zone presents a bigger climax zone for the visitors composed of both high-lands and low-lands; thus, offering refreshing vista within and beyond the park boundary for those coming along the long way.

Char Zone: The Char Zone resembles the iconic shifting sandbars or shoals of the deltaic and braided riverine landscape of Bangladesh. This Zone marks the northern end of the lake where water fluctuations are most visible during monsoon months. At the same time, it is also situated at the lowest-lying land area of the park to convey the essence of Chars’ proximity to fluctuating water levels. The Char Zone includes sandbar-responsive agricultural systems and technologies, appropriate climate-smart technologies, model floating house, flood-resilient raised model house and homestead for floodplains, Agri-silvi-pastoral system, wildlife refuge zone, audio-visual zonal-learning hub, etc. Visitors can explore the zone through a lifted boardwalk that results in an exciting yet soft transition of one’s journey from land to the watery landscape.

Apart from these conspicuous features, the Climate Technology Park also embodies important eco-friendly features like landscape-wide internal stormwater management infrastructure (bioswales, rain-gardens, continuous contour trench, vegetated biofilter strips, etc.), water garden, stormwater retention zone, eco-friendly WASH facilities, native deciduous forest patch, wildlife corridors, etc.