Sundarbans Flashcards
what is the Sundarbans the largest of?
the largest delta over 10,000km squared
where is the Sundarbans?
southern Bangladesh and India on the bay of Bengal
what three rivers is the delta formed from?
The Ganges
Brahmaputra
Meghna
what is the Sundarbans natural climax?
mangrove forests and swamps
how much are the mangrove forests worth?
$12,000/hectare
what do the mangrove forests provide?
shelter against storm winds, floods, tsunamis and erosion as they absorb energy
what was planted in 2015?
50,000 mangrove samplings
state for how much protection mangroves give
30 trees per 0.01 hectares = 90% less destruction from tsunamis
what crops do they grow?
lots of rice crops as they are water tolerant and salt tolerant
what is used to store water and food?
water tight containers as it keeps water clean
what do NGO’s provide in the Sundarbans?
education and training for natural disasters
what have people of the Sundarbans lived through?
4 cyclones in the last 15 years
what do people of the Sundarbans work with rather than against?
work with tigers instead of against them
what is a benefit of the soil?
very resilient and promotes a wide range of nutritious foods
what do grassroots NGO’s do?
run education programs to promote more ecologically friendly farming
what did USAID do?
trained communities to become more resilient to future climate shocks
what was good about cyclone shelters built?
they were multipurpose with communication equipment
e.g. schools
how many shelters were built between 2011 and 2015?
100
what is grown as a crop on the Sundarbans?
new salt tolerant rice varieties that can survive being submerged for over two weeks
what keeps rainwater away from salt?
big water tanks provide fresh clean water
what does the mangrove forest provide?
- construction materials
- food and drink
- fishing materials
- protection
- provision
- value
natural challenges to the Sundarbans?
- coastal flooding
- cyclones
- high levels of salinity in water
- inability of islands
- accessibility and remoteness
- human eating tigers
human challenges to the Sundarbans?
- over exploitation of coastal resources from vulnerable resources
- conversion of wetlands to intense agricultural and settlements
- destructive fishing techniques
- lack of awareness economic and environmental
- lack of awareness of coastal issues
