Sundarbans Flashcards
Where are the Sundarbans located?
Located in the delta region of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghua rivers, spanning across Southern Bangladesh and Eastern India
What is the Sundarbans?
Largest mangrove forest in the world
Why is the protection of the mangrove essential?
Acts as a natural buffer against storm surges and tropical cyclones, preventing erosion and flooding by dissipating wave energy
How many people depend on the mangrove forest for their livliehoods?
4.5 Million people as it sustains industries like shrimp fishing, honey farming and agriculture
Examples of human intervention in the Sundarbans
Deforestation, embankment construction and river management
how many hectares of mangrove were lost in Bangladesh from 2000-2010?
24,000 hectares
Why has deforestation increased and what are the effects?
Conversion of mangrove to rice paddies and shrimp farms has increased coastal erosion and vulnerability because it has disrupted the forests natural sediment cycle.
What does research show the impact of deforestation of the mangrove forest is?
for every km of mangrove lost, the energy of storm surge can increase by 30%
What evidence is there on what the impact of the destruction of the mangrove forest is
Evidence shows that areas of the coastline are beginning to recede by 200 meters within the past decade
What impact has coastal erosion had?
Loss of biodiversity and threatens endangered species like the bengal tiger
what socio-economic impacts has the destruction of the mangroves had on the locals?
Local communities which rely on the mangrove for subsidence farming, fishing and honey collection now have degraded soil quality and increased salinity which reduces the quality of the soil and produce.
The expansion of shrimp farming, driven by HIC consumerization, has driven out many local farmers, leading to the loss of livliehoods
What is another human impact in the Sundarbans?
Construction of embankments
How far do the embankments spread?
3,500km
Why were the embankments built?
To protect agricultural land and villages from flooding
How have the embankments had a negative impact?
They block tidal flows which prevents the deposition of nutrients from sediment which exacerbates the risk of flooding during storm surges as it leads to subsidence in which the land sinks due to the lack of sediment supply. This decays the quality of soil, causing the destruction of farmers crops and produce.
How else have the embankments had a negative effect?
Resulted in the increased siltation in rivers because sediment previously used to replenish the floodplains is trapped, raising river beds and increasing the risk of flooding during monsoon season further
Example of successful human intervention
Mangrove Restoration Projects
How many hectares of mangrove in Bangladesh have been replanted since 1990?
over 20,000 hectares
What do Mangrove Restoration Projects aim to achieve?
Aim to restore degraded areas, improve biodiversity and improve protection from flooding and aims to protect locals livliehoods
How have mangrove restoration projects been successful?
Bangladesh
healthy mangrove forests help to support fisheries by providing breeding grounds for the fish and offer opportunities for the sustainable harvesting for resources such as honey and timber.
Restoration projects are typically led by the community which provides employment opportunities and increased awareness about the value of conserving the forest.
Other than Mangrove Restoration Projects, what other successful human impacts has there been?
Introduction of salt tolerant crops
What is an example of a salt tolerant crop?
SWARNA sub 1
How have GM crops been successful?
Help communities to adapt to increases in soil salinity caused by sea level rise and more frequent flooding
Increased farmers agricultural productivity as the crops can survive monsoonal flooding which is a common issue.
Stabilized rural communities, sustaining farmers income and supporting the local community.
What is the value of 1 hectare of mangrove forest?
£12,000
