









































Pa
ge

 
1



Pa
ge

 
67

American Journal of   
Environment and Climate (AJEC)

Social Taboos on Wetland Fauna
Tapas Ranjan Chakraborty1*

Volume 4 Issue 2, Year 2025
ISSN: 2832-403X (Online) 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54536/ajec.v4i2.5042
https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajec

Article Information ABSTRACT

Received: April 25, 2024
Accepted: June 03, 2025

Published: June 17, 2025

Taboos play a significant role in conservation of  biodiversity; they regulate practices of  a 
community and reduce pressure on species. Wetlands of  Bangladesh are diversified and 
rich with biodiversity. The objective of  the study was to explore the potential of  taboos in 
development and conservation planning of  wetland fauna. To document the taboos in a 
wetland the biodiversity, conservation, social norms and practices of  the Medir Haor under 
Nasirnagar sub-district of  Brahmanbaria district were studied. Community consultations, 
key informant interviews and field observations were conducted between July 2022 and June 
2024. Many fishes are not eaten. At least 15 species of  animals were recorded undisturbed 
and respected because of  religious and social norms. The sacred lands are protected habitat 
for fauna. The taboos on fauna have association with myth, tells, cultures and social values. 
Almost all the taboos are known to all age groups of  the people even though the traditional 
knowledge is not documented and is transmitted verbally. Taboos associated with religious 
norms are being practiced without any deviation. Taboos help conservation. Taboos are 
very localized specific. Since there is a gap in knowledge management, a necessary attempt is 
recommended to include the values of  taboos in environmental education and conservation 
education. Documentation of  those taboos and exploring the links with science and 
history can help conservation efforts. Inter-disciplinary researchers may contribute to more 
comprehensive and rigorous study. Policy advocacy is necessary to make the policy makers 
understand the importance of  taboos in conservation planning and implementation.

Keywords
Conservation, Fauna, Knowledge 
Management, Taboos, Wetland

1 BRAC, Dhaka, Bangladesh
 * Corresponding author’s e-mail: tapas.rc@brac.net

INTRODUCTION 
Bangladesh is a land of  wetlands; more than 60% of  
the country is wetland. The life and livelihoods of  the 
people of  the country is wetland dependent. The culture, 
customs, norms, tradition, etc., of  the country is wetland 
driven. Human association with the wetland animals is 
very significant here. There are many dos and don’ts on the 
interaction of  humans with animals. There are taboos on 
many animals. Such indigenous belief  systems often play a 
significant role in the conservation of  animals. Traditional 
knowledge lays the foundation of  the social capital of  a 
community and plays a significant role in conservation of  
biodiversity. Due to taboos many species are conserved. 
Harvesting or killing for consumption is a direct factor of  
population of  a species. Interference in the food chain and 
habitat is also vital for a population of  a species. ‘Not be 
taken as food’ or ‘not be killed’ because of  the taboo is 
not sufficient enough for a species to service, but taboos 
reduce the threats to an animal. The current paper aims to 
document the taboos on wetland animals in the Haor basin 
of  Bangladesh. Haor is bowl-shaped with a large tectonic 
depression. It receives surface runoff  water by rivers and 
canals, and consequently, a Haor becomes a very extensive 
water body in the monsoon and dries up mostly in the post-
monsoon period. Distribution of  Haor is limited to the 
northeast of  Bangladesh and some adjacent parts of  India. 
In Bangladesh, Haor basin covers an area of  approximately 
24,500 km2. There are 411 Haors comprising an area of  
about 8000 km2 wetlands.  Around 14% of  the total paddy 
production in Bangladesh is produced in the Haor basin.

The objective of  the study was to know the taboos 
on the wildlife of  wetlands and the current state of  
practices of  those taboos, so that the knowledge can be 
considered in the process of  conservation planning and 
implementation. 

MATERIALS AND METHODS
It was a semi-ethnographic study. The study was 
conducted in the Medir Haor, located in Nasirnagar sub-
district under Brahmanbaria district. The author was 
from that community. To document the taboos, there 
were (a) Literature review, (b) Community consultations 
(c) Key-informant Interviews and (d) Direct observation. 
The in-depth study was conducted between July 2022 
and June 2024. Following the International Society 
of  Ethnobiology (2006)’s ISE Code of  Ethics for this 
study the purpose of  the study including objectives, 
methodology, data collection, and the dissemination 
and application of  results were discussed in detail with 
the participants of  community consultations and key 
informant interview.

Literature review
The folklores, stories and proverbs that were available 
in published books were studied to understand if  there 
were any taboos noted. Only a few books were found 
in the folklores of  the subdistrict. Some folk songs 
of  Nasirnagar were also analyzed to find the animal 
association. A few grand-mother stories were listened to 
learn animal association.



Pa
ge

 
68

https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajec

Am. J. Environ. Clim. 4(2) 67-72, 2025

Community consultations
Community consultations were conducted both in formal 
and informal ways. There were 10 formal consultations 
that were conducted in a mixed group in house yards in 
different locations in the village Nasirnagar, Nasirpur, 
Monoharpur and Kistapur. Such consultations were 
conducted mostly during the evening and the participants 
were pre-selected and invited. The selection of  the 
participants for the community consultations were 
identified based on their knowledge on the social 
practices. They were mostly community leader, elderlies 
and locally considered as knowledgeable. There were 
eight participants in a consultation on average.  Non-
formal consultations were conducted mostly on market 
places of  Nasirnagar and Nasirpur. There was no specific 
selection process of  participants for the non-formal 
consultations but everyone interested to sit in discussion 
were welcomed. Six non-formal community consultations 
were conducted. Such open group discussion was found 
used by Borah & Prasad (2017) in their ethnozoological 
study of  medicinal use of  animal in Assam, India and by 
Mengistu et al. (2024) in Ethiopia.

Key-informant Interviews
Key-informant interviews were conducted with elderly 
and scholarly community members. The interview was 
open-ended in a semi-structured questionnaire (Jaroli 
et al, 2010; Borah & Prasd, 2017).  There were 16 Key-
Informant Interviews conducted.

Direct observation
Direct observation includes understanding the field 
reality if  the taboos are in practice. During the direct 
observation people present in the spots were randomly 
interviewed, talked, discussed, etc.

Study Area
The study area Medir Hoar is one of  the small hoar of  
Bangladesh. The core Haor area is around 628 hectares. 
Major part of  the Medir Hoar is located in Nasirnagar 
sub-district under Brahmanbaria district. There are seven 
perennial water bodies which are called as beel located 
inside the Haor, viz, Korati beel, Beel Balia Juri, Beel 
Gagutia, Beel Uttar Balla, Beel Bak Langon Atauri, Beel 
Kupa, Chachua Medi. The Langon is the prime river of  
the basin, but the Kulkulia, Bemali and Kainja are also 
the perennial rivers. There are twenty villages in the 
Medir Haor basin. Medir Haor is a vast water body for 
about five months during the monsoon season, May to 
September every year. During the winter season the land 
area becomes cropland; the major crop is rice but also 
there is cultivation of  vegetables and groundnut in areas 
adjacent to villages. The Haor is subject to monsoon 
flooding every year. Medir Haor supports a population 
of  around 25,000 individuals who rely on its resources.
There was a thematic analysis of  the data and information 
recorded from the study.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The study has recorded number of  taboos on wetland 
fauna in the Medir Haor. There are taboos on all most all 
classes of  animals. There are taboos on both invertebrates 
and vertebrates. The recorded taboos in different animal 
classes from the Medir Haor is a as below:

Invertebrate 
The crab is not eaten because it is believed that consuming 
it will make the tongue feel thick. Students, who are 
Hindu, will not eat or kill crabs since it is associated 
with Goddess Saraswathi, the Goddess of  education. 
There was no evidence found of  association of  Goddess 
Saraswathi with crab in iconography or any description 
but such a belief  is widely practiced. Also, the centipede 
has such an association according to the local belief  and 
the students do not usually kill any centipede. Since the 
spider protected Prophet Muhammad (SM) and Abu 
Bakr in the Cave of  Thawr, all types of  spiders, including 
water spiders too, are not killed. Regarding dragonflies, 
there is a taboo in which Gandhari, one of  the characters 
in the Mahabharata, lost all her hundred sons because 
she made a necklace of  100 dragonflies in her previous 
life. The dragonflies are not killed. The butterflies bring 
the good news of  the marriage ceremony, for that young 
girl must not kill them and allow them to go away. If  the 
butterfly sits in the body of  a girl at the age of  marriage 
eligibility and the family is searching for a bridegroom for 
her, the butterfly will be decorated with vermillion on its 
forehead. The mud made nest of  the house wasp will not 
be destroyed, it is believed that if  someone destroys it his 
house will be lost shortly. No children will catch a fairyfly, 
if  they do, they will have bedwetting.       

Fishes
The Napter Pora Koi (Badis badis) is not eaten because it 
is a reborn fish. The myth is that an unlucky barber while 
washing it swam away into the river. In fact, this fish is 
very small and even not eaten by other fishes. Mrigal Fish 
(Cirrhinus cirrhosus) is not eaten by pregnant women. 
The Great Snakehead (Channa marulius) is not eaten by 
many people specifically by Muslim as it is associated with 
Hajrat Shahjalal and is considered holy. Helicopter Catfish 
(Wallago attu) is not eaten in the month of  Kartik, mid-
October to mid-November. Gaura fish (Clupisoma gaura) 
is not eaten since it eats human stool but many fishes do 
so. There is a common saying on blaming, “All fish eat 
stool, but only the Gaura fish is blamed.” Men will avoid 
eating the head of  Asian Stinging Catfish (Heteropneustes 
fossilis) because eating will cause their wife to die.  Indian 
Chaca fish (Chaca chaca) is eaten by higher class of  Hindus 
and Muslims, but it is used as a medicine for the babies to 
stop problems like teeth grinding and bedwetting. Catching 
fishes from canals in very early morning was found 
forbitten, specifically the spotted snakehead (Channa 
punctata). The ghost will disturb, even there is risk of  
being killed by Macho Bhut. Macho Bhut, literary meaning, 
Fish eating ghost, like the spotted snakehead very much.



Pa
ge

 
69

https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajec

Am. J. Environ. Clim. 4(2) 67-72, 2025

 Amphibians
The big bullfrogs have frog-stones. Frog keeps it in its 
mouth and when it takes food, they keep it in the ground 
and after having the food they take this in mouth again. 
Frog crossing a road in a group is a sign of  possibility 
of  high flood. Eating the heart of  a toad (Duttaphrynus 
melanostictus) with a banana is a treatment of  asthma; 
but toad is not edible and not being disturbed. Toad 
is considered as lucky and as inhibitors of  a house. In 
Nasirnagar people are not usually cleaning, including 
sweeping their houses during the Bengali month Bhadra 
(mid-August to mid-September) to keep the toads 
undisturbed.

Reptile
Turtles are forbidden to eat for the Muslims. Turtles and 
their eggs are not consumed by Muslims. It is considered 
a serious sin for them. The skinks are the aunty of  
snakes. If  she is disturbed, she will inform the snakes, 
the snake will take revenge by poisonous bite. will bite. 
Seeing snake-mate brings good luck. The Banded Krait 
will usually not bite, since it has two heads, two heads 
are uncle and nephew in relation; one asks the other to 
bite. Snake-stone is found in Cobra. It is believed that the 
common wolf  snake is not harmful and it actually protects 
the house. The rat snake though is non-poisonous but 
its tail has poison and the snake hits by the tail. Calotes 
versicolor takes blood from a distance. The Bangla (local 
language) name of  Calotes is Ratochusa, which means 
blood sucker. People usually stay away from them. The 
wall lizard calls like “Tik-Tik”, “Tik” means right in 
Bangla. If  in decision making discussion among family 
members or a group of  people a wall lizard calls, people 
consider it as right. The wall lizard is very perfect in 
projection. According to a myth, Khana was a great lady 
who can read and assume the future and was famous for 
early warning of  weather, her father-in-law was jealous of  
her and had cut her tongue, the wall lizard ate the tongue, 
from then the wall lizard can predict. Wall lizards are not 
killed. People trust that the monitor lizard can spit, so 
that they stay far from them. 

Birds
The nesting trees of  Pallas’s Fish Eagle are not cut down 
because they carry dry twigs to holy Proyaga (a Hindu 
pilgrim site) for the funeral of  their forefathers. If  
Pallas’s Fish Eagle shows up in Medir Haor, a big flood 
is believed to be on the way. Having an Egret colony in a 
homestead or a nest in any trees in the backyard is a sign 
of  getting wealth in the near future. Egrets flying to and 
fro in a normal blue sky is a sign of  tornado or nor’easter 
(erratic rainfall with thunderstorm). Having a net of  wild 
pigeons at home is good, believe that the wild pigeon 
has association with Hajrat Shahjalal, who introduced 
Islam in the Haor basin. The common name of  this bird 
is Jalali Kabotar, the pigeon of  Jalal. This pigeon is not 
also eaten. No carnivorous bird is eaten. Killing a nightjar 
bird may make someone blind or have night blindness. 

The oriel are good birds, they bring guests to home. The 
brine fever birds should not be killed because they are 
calling their beloved wife, their sound is like “Bou kotha 
kou”, which means “wife, please talk”. Usually birds are 
not killed, but for some birds even accidental killing will 
bring bad luck and sorrow. Birds like ducks and doves are 
taken as food, but not very common practice because of  
the law and social norms.

Mammals
Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica) is the carrier 
of  the Goddess Ganga and considered holy, but its fat is 
used as medicine for arthritis. 

Association with Religion
Animals associated with deities are considered holy. 
Bahana (vehicle) of  Saraswathi is White goose (Anser 
anser domesticus), during the 80s of  the last century 
goose meat was preferred by students but nowadays this 
is not in practice. Owl is the carrier of  goddess Laxmi, 
so seeing an owl in the daytime is a sign of  good luck. 
Among the owls, Barn owl is more holy and is named 
after the goddess Laxmi, it is called Laxmi Pencha, owl 
of  Laxmi. The iconography of  the carrier of  Ganga 
describes Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica); 
worship of  Ganga is very common among the fishermen 
of  the Medir Haor. Carp fish is a must for the Jatra of  
Goddess Durga, the Jatra is the departure of  the goddess 
Durga. Goddess Monosha is the goddess of  snakes; she 
recovers people from pain. Crow is the Bahana of  God 
Shoni, Shoni saves the believers from bad luck and brings 
good days. It was found that at least 15 wildlife species of  
the Medir Haor have association with religious faith and 
is protected in some extend. 
Animals living in sacred lands or long years of  fellow land 
are protected, no one enters the sacred lands without a 
very urgency. ‘Anutpurer Mora’ is a fellow homestead 
for many years located inside the Medir Haor. This 
land is known for many species of  snakes including the 
Monocled cobra (Naja kaouthia). There are colonies of  
Egret and Pond Heron in this fellow homestead. The 
‘Dol Kandi’ is located in the center of  the Medir Haor. 
Earlier people avoided visiting this area because of  the 
presence of  the snakes. But nowadays during the rainy 
season this is a popular tourist spot. But the tourists 
avoided to disturbed any animals there, there is a good 
population of  House Lizards, Hemidactylus brookii.

Knowledge Management
Almost all the taboos are known to all age groups of  
the people even though traditional knowledge is not 
documented and is transmitted verbally. The tradition 
of  storytelling has been gradually fading away. The 
knowledge or norms of  taboos are transferred from 
generation to generation by different tells, sayings, 
proverbs, folk songs and local festivals. The traditional 
knowledge of  weather forecasts is being transferred to 
the young from the elderly by practice. If  the egret flies 



Pa
ge

 
70

https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajec

Am. J. Environ. Clim. 4(2) 67-72, 2025

here and there in a normal good sky it will have a tornado; 
if  they fly back to the village, it will have a nor ‘wester. 
If  the ant line moves towards high places, it will flood 
this year. Also floating ant colonies indicate an increase 
of  water level during floods. If  the broad bill kingfisher 
calls frequently, it will have heavy rainfall. If  the catfish 
catch is comparatively less it will have drought next year. 
Young people are spending more time on mobile phones 
and social media, and time for interaction with other 
members is comparatively less now. The knowledge of  
nor’wester forecasts by seeing flying ergate is not well 
known to half  of  the children talked during the field 
visit of  the study. During the early rainy season flogs are 
calling in the ponds and ditches. The calling frogs are not 
being disturbed. It is believed that the frogs are calling for 
rain to come.
Though it was found the knowledge on taboos is good 
among the young but the cause and origin of  the taboos 
was not known to them. The process of  intergeneration 
knowledge transfer is found interfered since storytelling 
time has been reduced because of  the social media 
engagement of  the young generation.  

Conservation value
Taboos have significant conservation values. Some 
taboos are associated with religious norms and are being 
practiced without any deviation. Taboos not associated 
with religion are being deviated but very minutely. 
Because of  the taboos at least 10 species of  birds were 
found protected in the Medir Haor areas, viz., 1. Brain 
fever bird, 2. Oriol, 3. Owl, 4. Greater Crow, 5. Pied 
Myna, 6. Brahminy Kite, 7. Black Kite, 8. Pallas Fish-
Eagle, 9. Harrier bird, 10. Drogo.
No evidences were found in the policy documents 
including National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 
(NBSAP), Jalmohal Management Policy (2009), Wildlife 
(Conservation and Security) Act 2012, Bangladesh Wild 
Life (Preservation) Order 1973, Bangladesh Environment 
Conservation Act, 1995 has found considered the taboos 
and/or indigenous knowledge as a means of  conservation 
of  a species. 

Taboos to Forget
Because of  medicinal values some species are under 
threat or at risk especially those related to the treatment 
of  sexual disease and arthritis. For example, the chick 
of  a White Breasted Water Hen is eaten for lengthening 
the male time in intercourse. Such a belief  is seriously 
harmful for the wetland fauna. White Breasted Water 
Hen are very rare nowadays, not because of  its habitat 
loss but population loss.

Taboos for conservation’ and ‘Taboos to Conserve
Conserving biodiversity based on cultural and religious 
values is often more sustainable than based only 
on legislation or regulation. In an era where Earth’s 
biodiversity is disappearing at the fastest rate in history, 
there is growing evidence that informal institutions such 

as taboos can be effective in promoting conservation. 
Efforts should also be made to educate young people 
about the importance of  taboos. Taboos need to be 
documented for the conservation and betterment of  the 
wetlands, and for the dissemination of  knowledge.

Discussion
Taboos are informal institutions. According to Jones 
et al. (2008) such an Informal institution governing the 
use of  wild species is present in many societies. Food 
taboos influence societal preferences, which affect the 
wider demand for a species. Importance of  taboos in 
conservation and protection of  wildlife is well recorded. 
Egwunatum and Okonta (2023) recorded it from the 
rainforest of  Nigeria. They found that availability of  
communal interest expressed as taboo for these threatened 
species affords a safer protection route of  migration. The 
complex cultural taboo of  some communities has largely 
contributed to the sustenance of  viable populations in 
the face of  unperceived forest fragmentation threats 
due to the common relationship that exists between the 
species and host community.
Understanding of  the relationships between human 
society and nature, including wetlands, as well as an 
understanding of  human context was highly suggested by 
Kumar et al. (2023) for the conservation and protection 
of  wetlands. Social components and interactions can be 
brought into the ecological concepts by adopting a more 
inclusive and comprehensive term ‘wetland character’ and 
using a social-ecological systems framework framing built 
around system entities, interactions, and system-level 
emergence phenomena. The current study also found that 
understanding the taboos and the process of  traditional 
knowledge management can contribute to the conservation 
planning process of  a wetland. Barman et al. (2025) has 
identified the importance of  taboos in conservation and 
knowledge management. The knowledge systems have 
been preserved and transmitted through myths, taboos, 
and religious beliefs from one generation to the next. The 
traditional process of  resource management only focuses 
on economic efficiency in favor of  the state, and thus, 
the local communities become deprived of  the rights to 
access their resources legitimately (Newaz & Rahman, 
2019). The conservation planning and intervention by the 
government and development agencies needs to consider 
the social aspects of  the wetland resources. The norms 
and taboos can play a very important role in conservation 
action design. In that case, effort to raise awareness is 
important. For that documentation of  traditional and 
folk use of  wetland biodiversity needs to be documented 
properly.
Taboos practiced by some tribal communities are 
documented in Bangladesh but no specific study on 
the taboos in wetlands were found. Taboos are mostly 
considered as a negative practice. Taboos on the use of  
biodiversity has a positive impact on the ecosystem. The 
current study has found that due to taboos many wetland 
species are being conserved by the community. Colding 



Pa
ge

 
71

https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajec

Am. J. Environ. Clim. 4(2) 67-72, 2025

& Folke (1997) found both endemic and keystone species 
that are important for ecosystem functions are avoided 
by specific-species taboos. Specific-species taboos have 
important ecological ramifications for the protection of  
threatened and ecologically important populations of  
species. They have recorded 70 species that were avoided 
by different human groups through specific-species 
taboos. About 30% of  these taboos prohibit the use of  
threatened species, predominantly threatened reptiles 
and mammals. Ihinmikaiye et al. (2022) noted the use of  
myths and taboos in species conservation represent a 
sustainable in situ means to wildlife protection. Jimoh et al. 
(2017) recommended a strong need of  assessing cultural 
practices, traditional laws and taboos in designing the 
conservation efforts. To understand how such practices 
could be strengthened and incorporated into natural 
resources management and conservation strategies there 
is a need to have a general overview of  existing practices. 
It was found in the current study that there is a deviation 
in practice, and this was due to lack of  knowledge on the 
taboos and norms.
For the management of  the natural resources and 
conservation, all conservation strategies must deal with 
the question of  human uses of  natural uses (Begossi, 
2006); the animal associated with religious faith and 
social pride and dignity has cultural values and services.  
Indirect interactions of  humans with their environment 
have led to a contemporary concern for the conservation 
of  fauna since humans have had an extensive impact on 
the biota, often with cascading effects on many of  the 
components of  ecosystems. Alves (2018) noted religion 
as an example of  the indirect relation of  humans with 
nature. Yet beyond being a biological issue, the challenge 
of  conservation must also be viewed from a variety 
of  other perspectives, including social, cultural, and 
economic contexts. 
Species require attention by immediately addressing 
unsustainable harvesting and encouraging educational 
efforts directed at all stakeholders, from collectors to 
end users (Haq et al., 2024). There is a serious lack of  
documentation of  the taboos and indigenous knowledge. 
Talukder et al. (2009) recommended an indigenous 
knowledge database for wetland management. Indigenous 
resource management practices should be identified and 
tenure arrangements should be included in legislation 
dealing with resource tenure, ensuring these issues are 
kept on the agenda of  policy-makers. 

CONCLUSION
In society there are a number of  taboos on consuming 
and using the animal diversity that support species 
population to survive. Taboos also contribute to the 
food web of  the wetland ecosystem. Due to a gap in 
the knowledge transfer system the traditional knowledge 
has been declining. There is a lack of  documenting the 
traditional practices and taboos. The study was conducted 
with a small number of  people, more comprehensive and 
detailed study will be able to document more taboos. 

Taboos are very localized and area specific. Taboo has a 
history of  origin. Interlinkage among the researchers from 
different disciplines, viz., zoologists, anthropologists, 
sociologists and conservationists may contribute to more 
comprehensive and rigorous study.   
Knowledge transmission between the generations 
is recommended. Including the values of  taboos in 
environmental education can contribute. The scope 
of  social media in knowledge management could be 
explored. Documentation of  those taboos and exploring 
the links with science and history can help conservation 
efforts. Policy advocacy is necessary to make the policy 
makers understand the importance of  taboos in planning. 
Proactiveness of  conservation activities is suggested to 
popularize the importance of  taboos in conservation and 
protection. Publishing popular articles in newspapers can 
contribute to this effort.

REFERENCES
Alves, R. R. N., Silva, J. S., L, S. & Albuquerque, U. P. 

(2018). Chapter 25 - Ethnozoology and Animal 
Conservation. Alves, R. R. N. & Albuquerque, U. P. 
(Eds). Ethnozoology (pp 481-496). Academic Press, 
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/
B9780128099131000259)

Barman, A., Rajak, F. & Jha, R. (2025). Integrating 
traditional knowledge systems for wetland 
conservation and management: A critical analysis. 
Nature Environment and Pollution Technology, 24(1), B 
4212. https://doi.org/10.46488/NEPT.2025. v24i01. 
B4212

Begossi, A. (2006). Temporal stability in fishing spots: 
conservation and co-management in Brazilian 
artisanal coastal fisheries. Ecology and Society, 11(1), 5. 
https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-01380-110105

Borah, M. P., & Prasad, S. B. (2017). Ethnozoological 
study of  animals based medicine used by traditional 
healers and indigenous inhabitants in the adjoining 
areas of  Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam. Indian 
Journal of  Ethnobiology & Ethnomedicine, 13, 39. https://
doi.org/10.1186/s13002-017-0167-6

Colding, J., & C. Folke. (1997). The relations among 
threatened species, their protection, and taboos. 
Conservation Ecology, 1(1), 6. Available from the 
Internet. URL: http://www.consecol.org/vol1/iss1/
art6/

Egwunatum, A. E., & Okonta, B. C. (2023). Assessment 
of  Habitat Fragmentation Impact on Community 
Taboo species for adoption as conservation portfolios 
in lowland rainforest ecological zone of  Delta State, 
Nigera. Journal of  Biodiversity Conservation and Bioresources 
Management, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.3329/jbcbm.
v9i2.70054

Haq, S. M., Waheed, M., & Bussmann, R. W. (2024). 
“Traditional” use in a global world: unsustainable 
ethnozoological usage among Himalayan ethnic 
groups drives species to extinction. Biodiversity and 
Conservation, 33, 1125-1144. https://doi.org/10.1007/



Pa
ge

 
72

https://journals.e-palli.com/home/index.php/ajec

Am. J. Environ. Clim. 4(2) 67-72, 2025

s10531-024-02778-0
Ihinmikaiye, S. O., Ochekwu, E. B. & Ojo, V. I. (2022). The 

use of  myths and taboos in wildlife conservation: The 
case of  Bayelsa-East Senatorial District of  Nigeria. 
The Zoologist, 20. 141-149. https://doi.org/10.4314/
tzool.v20i1.18

International Society of  Ethnobiology (2006). ISE 
Code of  Ethics (with 2008 additions). Online: http://
ethnobiology.net/code-of-ethics

Jaroli, D. P., Mahawar, M. M., & Vyas, N. (2010) An 
ethnozoological study in the adjoining areas of  
Mount Abu wildlife sanctuary, Indian Journal of  
Ethnobiology & Ethnomedicine, 10(6), 6. https://doi.
org/10.1186/1746-4269-6-6.

Jimoh, S. O., Emmanuel, T. E., Alarape, A. A., & 
Adeyemi, A. A. (2012). The Role of  Traditional Laws 
and Taboos in Wildlife Conservation in the Oban Hill 
Sector of  Cross River National Park (CRNP), Nigeria. 
Journal of  Human Ecology, 39(3), 209–219. https://doi.
org/10.1080/09709274.2012.11906513

Jones, J. P., Andriamarovololona, M. M., & Hockley, N. 
(2008). The importance of  taboos and social norms 
to conservation in Madagascar. Conservation Biology, 

22(4), 976-86. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-
1739.2008.00970.x

Kumar, R., Horwitz, P., & Max Finlayson, C. (2023). 
19 - Wetlands as social–ecological systems: Bridging 
nature and society, Editor(s): Peter A. Gell, Davidson, 
N. C. & Max Finlayson, C. (Eds). Ramsar Wetlands (pp 
525-553). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-
12-817803-4.00021-8.

Mengistu, M., Kebebew, M., & Meyer-Rochow, V. B. 
(2024). Ethnozoological study of  medicinal animals 
used by the inhabitants of  the Kucha District, Gamo 
Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Journal of  Ethnobiology 
& Ethnomedicine, 20, 72. https://doi.org/10.1186/
s13002-024-00714-8

Newaz, M. W., & Rahman, S. (2019). Wetland resource 
governance in Bangladesh: An analysis of  community-
based co-management approach. Environmental 
Development, 32. https://doi.org/10.1016/ 
j.envdev.2019.06.001.

Talukder, B., Nobukazu, N., & Rashid, M. S. (2009). 
State and management of  wetlands in Bangladesh. 
Landscape & Ecological Engineering, 5, 81–90. https://
doi.org/10.1007/s11355-008-0052-5


