ABSTRACT
Bangladesh is a land-scarce country with a huge population, where the valuable land resource is facing continuous pressure from increasing population, development activities and finding a safe livelihood. To meet the aspirations of the nation to become a developed country, sustainable use of its land resources is essential, which is accomplished through sound land-use planning. This chapter discusses and evaluates the characteristics of various geomorphic units and their constituent materials, the related natural resources, natural hazards, anthropogenic and climate change impacts and consequences, and their significance in land-use planning. More than two-thirds of the country are occupied by fluvio-deltaic landforms, and floored with soft sediments. Natural processes and anthropogenic activities are continuously changing the surface morphology, land cover and land use. Therefore, geoscientific data are essential for proper planning so that hazards can be avoided, conflicting uses can be rejected, natural resources can be conserved, the environment can be protected, and an ecological balance can be maintained. An idealistic attempt has been made to recognise the potential of each of the major geomorphic units. To facilitate decision-making and render management processes easy and efficient, remote sensing (RS) techniques and the geographic information system (GIS) should be incorporated into policy and implementation levels.
