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The livelihood sustainability of the Rohingya refugees relocated in Bhashan Char, Bangladesh, has been questioned by various international stakeholders due to the remoteness and perceived vulnerabilities of the island. The Bangladesh government, a few international organizations, and some non-government organizations are working on developing livelihood opportunities in there. But there is scarce study about the livelihood opportunities and challenges of the Rohingyas living there. This study explores the vulnerabilities and livelihood opportunities of Rohingyas in Bhashan Char so as to help increase their resilience. The vulnerabilities include natural, geographical, and climatic shocks and stresses (e.g., cyclone, floods, storm surge, sea-level rise, geographical position). However, there are ample opportunities for their livelihood development, despite some challenges which can be overcome with concerted efforts. The opportunities include intensification and extensification of livelihood activities, such as modern agriculture, fish farming, livestock rearing, small business, handicraft, fishing net mending, crab fattening, biofloc aquaculture, and fish cage culture, but turning these opportunities into reality requires sufficient investment and internationally positive attitude. Better shelter, better disaster preparedness, cultural practices, education, and skill development can increase their capacity to bounce back, absorb shocks, and make them more resilient. National and international humanitarian organizations should plan to enhance the resilience of the Rohingya communities living in Bhashan Char and the island itself so that they can sustain in the long run, even after their anticipated repatriation to Myanmar.

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Small rivers are often ignored in terms of conservation actions and biodiversity management in Bangladesh. Despite having significant ecological and economic importance of these rivers, there is limited study done so far. To partially fulfill this gap, this study aimed to assess the fish and shellfish biodiversity of a small coastal river named Tiakhali from southern Bangladesh. A total of 26 finfish and 7 shellfish species were identified where 50% of finfish and all of the shellfish species were from the order Perciformes and Decapoda, respectively. Results showed that 76.9% of finfish and all of the shellfish species were categorized into the least concern category based on IUCN Red List. Estimated Shannon’s, Margalef’s, Buzas & Gibson’s and Simpson’s indices were 1.189, 2.649, 0.435 and 0.435 for fish and 1.662, 0.758, 0.224 and 0.224 for shellfish, respectively. This study showed that Tiakhali river’s fish biodiversity was comparatively smaller than big rivers. The findings of this study might serve as a baseline for future works and will help policymakers to pay attention to conserve such small rivers and their biodiversity in future. Dhaka Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 32(1): 1- 10, 2023 (January)