Sundarbans Flashcards
Where is Bangladesh
SE Asia, on world’s largest river delta as high river sediment load due to high Himalayas potential energy
What % of Bangladesh is <2m above sea level
80%
How densely populated is it (world ranking)
10th most
What % live in Bay of Bengal
30%
What are the Sundarbans
World’s largest area of mangrove forests, 2/3 in Bangladesh, UNESCO biosphere reserve
Role of Sundarbans in affecting wave energy
Remove 70% wave energy, trap sediment, 30 trees/0.01 ha reduces a tsunami’s destructive force by 90%
What lives in the Sundarbans
260 bird species, Bengal tigers, estuarine crocodiles, small fish protected from large predators by roots
How are mangroves adapted to salt
Can store it/excrete it through leaves
Sundarbans opportunities
Flat and fertile land, tourism, flood and erosion defence, provides with goods e.g. nipa palm leaves
Sundarbans natural challenges
Floods salinise soil, cyclones, inaccessible, low-lying land at risk from sea levels, predators e.g. tigers so farmers wear hoods
Sundarbans human challenges
Dense population as resources, 20% houses have electricity, drinking water diverted for irrigation, destructive fishing techniques, conflicts, underrepresented in decision making
Goods from mangroves
Fuel, fishing materials e.g. herbal poisons, textiles e.g. furs, construction materials, other products e.g. aquarium fish, food and drink e.g. shrimp
Services from mangroves
Protection, provision, value (cultural), maintenance (ecosystem resilience)
Improving resilience: increasing access to clean water and sanitation/ Improved adaptation: NGO latrine, sanitation, and rainwater storage
People’s Postcode Lottery worked with Wateraid to build a 65l underground rainwater reservoir and build 3 accessible toilet blocks in 2023
Improving resilience: building roads and bridges to improve access
2017 study identified need and state government built 5 bridges
Improving resilience: provide electricity and solar panels
WWF India implemented 2011 Bush Light India project: use renewable energy to electrify remote villages, set up Rajat Jubilee village solar power station, streetlights stop tiger attacks, when damaged by a cyclone main system stayed intact
Improving resilience: farming subsidies
Government of West Bengal’s Agricultural Extension Programme: training on agriculture, introduce double-crossing, mushroom and cotton cultivation
Improving resilience: training on sustainability
WWF Climate Smart Agriculture Rapid Appraisal: families taught innovative farming methods to recycle and increase production
Improving mitigation: build embankments
Sundarbans Embankment Reconstruction Project: Indian government uses modern machinery to support locals in building
Improving mitigation: use of open access natural resources
Khas land (government owned and meant to be protected for use by local populations), wetlands, fisheries, forests
Improving mitigation: cyclone shelters and early warning systems
Green Education and Cyclone Shelter and Training Centre: 10,000 visitors annually, run by Bangladesh government
Improving mitigation: protect and replant mangroves
Project CAT: global movement aimed at building healthy tiger habitats, afforestation occurring through a partnership between WWF India and Discovery India
Improving mitigation: livelihood assets
Sundarbans have good social capital (money spent on social capital per person) from governments and NGOs e.g. building tube wells
Improving adaptation: salt-resistant rice crops
Can be submerged in water for 2+ weeks e.g. Dudhersar
Improving adaptation: increase tourism
Greater Sundarbans Ecotourism Society
Improving adaptation: build houses and cyclone shelters on stilts
Kalabogi hanging village 6ft in air on bamboo stilts on River Shibsa
Improving adaptation: sustainable farming and ecotourism
USAID: trained 30,000 people to become resilient to future climate shocks by improving agricultural techniques. Grassroot NGOs do more
Improving adaptation: NGO education and disaster preparation
Relaunch government policy to build multi-purpose cyclone shelters equipped with communication equipment and megaphones also serving as primary schools as many built in 1970s then neglected
Issues with improving mitigation, resilience and adaptation
Open access resource shrinking, ecosystem degradation, land ownership conflicts, corruption, tiger deaths (few widow opportunities)
Opportunities for future sustainable development
Ecotourism, recent communication investment, region has many international and national designations already
