Case Study: The Sundarbans Flashcards
Where is the Sundarbans region?
Southwest Bangladesh and east India, on the delta of the Ganges on the Bay of Bengal
What is the Sundarbans region?
The largest mangrove forest in the world
What is the topography of the Sundarbans region?
Very flat and low-lying
What is the Subdarbans region intersected by?
Thousands of channels containing sandy or silty islands
What are large regions of the Sundarbans protected as?
A National Park or forest reserve
In its natural state, the coastal system is in…
Dynamic equilibrium
Why does the size of the sediment store remain roughly the same?
Material is deposited by the rivers and eroded by the sea
How many people is the Sundarbans home to?
4 million
What are the types of opportunites provided by the Sundarbans? (3)
- Economic benifits through natural products
- Services
- Development to increase the wealth of Bangladesh
What are the opportunities through natural products that are available? (3)
- Flat, fertile land ideal for crops (rice)
- Rich ecosystem provides fish, crabs and honey
- Forests provide nipa palm leaves and timber for construction, firewood and furniture
What are the services provided? (2)
- Natural flood barrier
- Protection from coastal erosion (roots bind soil together)
What are the opportunities provided for development? (3)
- Tourism
- Dredging of channels to allow passgage of ships
- Power plant just north of the region
What are the first 4 risks created by the Sundarbans for occupation and development?
- Lack of fresh water
- Mangroves removed for population (increased flooding)
- Flooding leads to salinisation (more saltiness), so harder to grow crops
- Dangerous animals that attack humans
What are the second 4 risks created by the Sundarbans for occupation and development?
- Lack of employment and icome
- At risk from rising sea levels
- Lack of communication so no flood warnings
- Few roads so limitations in development, goods, healthcare and education
What are the main ways that people have tried to overcome these risks? (3)
- Resilience
- Mitigation
- Adaptation
What is resilience?
Being able to cope with the challenges the environment presents
What is mitigation?
Reducing the severity of hazards or other problems
What is adaptation?
Adjusting behaviour to fit the environment
What has been done to improve the population’s resilience? (5)
- Access to clean water and sanitation
- Better roads and bridges been built
- Electricity and solar panels being extended to more areas
- Effort to decrease poverty
- Training in sustainable methods of fishing and farming
Who increased access to clean wayer and sanitation?
The Public Health Engineering Department
What is a disadvantage of building better roads and bridges?
Deforestation and pollution
What is an advantage of increased electricity? (2)
- Flood warnings
- Enployment
Who provides training in sustainable methods of fishing and farming?
Some NGOs
What has been done as a mitigating action in the Sundarbans? (3)
- 3500km of embarkment built to prevent flooding
- Coastal management projects
- Attempts to mitigate the impacys of extreme events
Disadvantage of the 3500km of embankment
They are gradually eroded with 800km vulnerable in storms
What do the coastal management projects aim to do for mitigation?
Protect existing mangroves and replant areas that have been removed to protect against flooding
Disadvantage of coastal management projects
Difficult to prevent illegal forest clearance
Example of an attempt to mitigate against extreme events
NGOs provided funding for warning systems and cyclone shelters
What has been done as an adaptation in the Sundarbans? (4
- Salt-resistant rice grown
- Projects to increase tourism
- Houses built on stilts
- Sustainable adaptations
Disadvantage of salt-resistant rice
Smaller crop range reduces biodiversity and increases vulnerability to pests/diseases
Example of sustainable adaptations
Non-intensive farming practices and promoting ecotourism
