Impact of Climate Change and Ongoing Adaptation Measures in the Bangladesh Sundarbans

Abstract

The climate of Bangladesh has changed drastically which may put considerable adverse impacts on mangrove fishers but very few studies focused on this professional group. An attempt was made to perceive the impact and adaptation measures of the Sundarbans mangrove resource users, employing interviews and focus group discussions. A total of 150 respondents were randomly selected from the Sundarbans west under Shyamnagar Upazila of Satkhira District. It was revealed that the abundance of fishes, fuel woods, honey, golpata (Nypa fruticans), and shrimp post-larvae (PL) was reduced considerably. The resource users have adapted themselves by changing their occupation and becoming jobless and depending on the other family members. PL collection, honey collection, shrimp culture, and wood collection were found professional adapting strategies to adopt cyclone, flood, salinity intrusion, river erosion, and drought. Several recommendations are elicited, the implementation of which is important to ensure livelihood sustainability of the mangrove communities.

Fisheries in the Context of Attaining Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Bangladesh: COVID-19 Impacts and Future Prospects

“…The production of shrimp has increased from 211,010 MT to 239,855 MT (Figure 2), and the average production of shrimp and prawn is 998 kg/ha [7]. In the Khulna region, shrimp is cultured in a modified rice field (also called gher), while in Cox's Bazar, shrimp and salt are produced alternately [23,24]. However, different programs and development projects are also being implemented for the increased production and promotion of shrimp aquaculture.…”

Fisheries in the Context of Attaining Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Bangladesh: COVID-19 Impacts and Future Prospects<strong> </strong>

“…Production of shrimp has increased from 211, 010 MT to 239,855 MT respectively (Figure 4) and the average production of shrimp and prawn is 998 kg/ha [7]. In the Khulna region, shrimp is cultured in a modified rice field (also called gher) while in Cox's Bazar, shrimp and salt are produced alternately [23].…”

“…As a result, many farms in the greater Khulna and Chittagong area were set up by clearing the mangrove forest. In the process, the Chokoria Sundarban has been completely wiped out -a loss that can perhaps never be reversed [23]. Secondly, the collection of shrimp PLs from the coastal areas adversely affects other fish and aquatic species.…”

“…Secondly, the collection of shrimp PLs from the coastal areas adversely affects other fish and aquatic species. Fine nets, which are used to catch shrimp PLs, indiscriminately catch many other species that die in the process, gets thrown away leading to biodiversity loss and water pollution [23,24]. This problem can be solved by the introduction of modern hatcheries and intensive shrimp culture.…”

Thirty-Year Spatiotemporal Change Record of Sundarban Mangrove Forest in Bangladesh

“…So, the detailed studies on Sundarban ground causing alteration in the seaside regions of Bangladesh using time series of satellite imagery will provide a comprehensive picture of the changes. Past research on Sundarban mangrove forest includes conservation and restoration (Romanach et al, 2018;Vyas and Sengupta, 2012); monitoring the forest cover changes (Islam et al, 2019;Kumar et al, 2021); quantification of ecosystem services (Hossain et al, 2016;Iqbal, 2020); livelihood dynamics of the communities (Kibria et al, 2018;Mozumder et al, 2018); degradation (Islam and Bhuiyan, 2018); species distribution (Barik et al, 2018); climate resilience of the Sundarban mangrove forest (Minar et al, 2013;Chakma et al, 2021). However, there is a definite knowledge gap regarding the updated status and distribution of healthy and unhealthy vegetation conditions of the Sundarban mangrove forest.…”