CGP Humans at the Coast

• The Sundarbans Region is in Bangladesh and India
• The Sundarbans Region is home to more than 4 million people
• Natural products provided by the Sundarbans Region

  • Food
  • Timber for construction
  • Furniture
  • Roofing materials
  • Basketmaking materials
• The flat, fertile land of the river deltas


  • Ideal for growing crops, particularly rice
• The mangrove forest

  • Provides a natural defence against flooding
  • Absorbs excess water in the monsoon season
  • Protects the area against coastal erosion
• The growing population

  Leads to a need for more fuel and more agricultural land, so the mangrove forests are being pressed
• Pressing the mangrove forests

  Increases the risk of flooding and coastal erosion
• The Sundarbans is home to dangerous animals that attack humans, including tigers, sharks and crocodiles
• There is a lack of employment and income opportunities in the Sundarbans
• The Sundarbans is a relatively poor region, and only one-fifth of households have access to mains electricity
• Access is difficult in the Sundarbans - there are few roads, and those that exist are of poor quality
• Resilience

  Being able to cope with the challenge the environment presents
• Resilience strategies

  1. Increasing access to clean water and sanitation

  2. Building better roads and bridges

  3. Extending mains electricity and providing subsidised solar panels

  4. Providing farming subsidies to increase food production and provide jobs

  5. Offering training in sustainable methods of fishing and farming
• Mitigation


  Reducing the severity of hazards or other problems
• Mitigation strategies

  1. Building embankments to prevent flooding

  2. Protecting and replanting mangrove forests

  3. Providing funding for cyclone shelters and early warning systems
• Adaptation


  Adjusting behaviour to fit the environment
• Adaptation strategies

  1. Growing salt-resistant varieties of rice

  2. Increasing tourism to provide jobs and income

  3. Building houses on stilts

  4. Using non-intensive farming practices and promoting ecotourism
• Resilience, mitigation and adaptation are all interlinked - if you adapt to a threat, you become more resilient and mitigate its impacts
• Rare species in the Sundarbans


  • orchick
  • white-bellied sea eagles
  • Royal Bengal tigers
  • Irawadi dolphins
• Natural products from the Sundarbans


  • Crops, particularly rice
  • Fish, crabs, honey and nipa palm leaves
  • Timber for construction, firewood and furniture
• Services provided by the Sundarbans


  • Water
  • Better road access for visitors
  • Mains electricity
  • Protection against flooding and coastal erosion
• The mangrove forest provides a natural defence against flooding - it acts as a barrier against rough seas and protects the area against coastal erosion
• Opportunities for development in the Sundarbans


  • Tourism
  • Cargo shipping
  • Power plant
• There is a lack of fresh water for drinking in the Sundarbans
• Coastal mangroves have been cleared for agriculture and aquaculture, leading to increased flooding and erosion
• Illegal logging and poaching are problems in the Sundarbans region
• The Sundarbans is vulnerable to extreme climate events like cyclones and sea level rise
• Mangroves


  • Absorb and create barrier that makes it easier to live and grow
  • Protect the area against coastal erosion by binding the soil together with their roots
• Opportunities for development


  • Tourism - visitors attracted by the mangroves and wildlife
  • Cargo ships transporting goods such as oil and food inland allowed to use the waterways since 2011, with some channels dredged to make passage easier
  • Power plant proposed north of the national park to provide energy
• The location and nature of the Sundarbans create numerous risks for occupation and development
• Risks of occupation and development


  • Lack of fresh water for drinking and irrigation
  • Growing population leading to removal of mangrove forests, increasing risk of flooding and coastal erosion
  • Flooding leading to salinisation of soil, making it hard to grow crops
  • Presence of dangerous animals like tigers, sharks and crocodiles
  • Lack of employment and income opportunities
  • Low-lying land at risk from rising sea levels due to global warming
  • Lack of access to mains electricity, making communication difficult
  • Difficult access with few and poor quality roads, limiting development and access to goods, healthcare and education
• Coastal management projects aim to protect existing mangrove forests and replant areas that have been removed, to protect against flooding and erosion
• Mitigation


  Reducing the severity of hazards or other problems
• Mitigation measures


  • 3500 km of embankments built to prevent flooding, though gradually being eroded and 800 km vulnerable to being breached
• Adaptation measures


  • Growing salt-resistant varieties of rice to cope with flooding and sea level rise
  • Increasing tourism to provide jobs and income, though needs to be properly managed
  • Building houses on stilts to adapt to sea level rise, though infrastructure like roads harder to protect
• Sustainable adaptations, e.g. using non-intensive farming practices and promoting ecotourism, will help ensure the fragile environment remains relatively undamaged and usable for future generations