the battle for the sundarbans

The mangrove crisis is more evident in Bangladesh, where rising sea levels and infrastructure development are posing significant threats to The Sundarbans - the largest mangrove forest in the world.

Bangladesh’s high population density and inadequate infrastructure make it exceptionally vulnerable to climate change. Since Bangladesh is at an average elevation of just one metre above sea level, even the slightest increase would dramatically affect the area. Sea level rise, natural disasters and salinisation have already displaced large numbers of people, and it is only set to get worse - it’s been estimated that by 2050, one in every seven people in Bangladesh will be displaced by climate change and up to 18 million may have to move due to sea level rise alone.

A majority of this displacement is internal: most people flee vulnerable coastal areas and end up in urban slums, particularly in Dhaka, one of the world’s fastest-growing and most densely populated megacities. While the climate migrants see the city as a haven, the reality is far from it - the city is fraught with extreme poverty, human trafficking, public health hazards and its own vulnerability to floods.

Rafiqul Islam Montu is a journalist whose extensive work on Bangladesh’s coastline has coined a new term: Coastal Journalism. In summary of the current situation Rafiqul writes “There are 19 districts under the coast of Bangladesh. Out of these 19 districts, 16 districts are most at risk in terms of climate change and natural disasters. The population in the coastal areas of Bangladesh is about 50 million.” He adds that “The people of this region are mostly fishermen and farmers” living “Sundarbans-centric livelihoods”

While mangroves provide the first line of defence and are quite resistant to submersion in water, they can die when floods caused by cyclones occur too frequently or last too long. Rafiqul notes the visible effects of climate change on Bangladesh’s weather patterns, writing “When we look at the weather signals, we see unusual images. Cyclone signals have been issued frequently in recent years.”

The Bangladeshi government’s Forest Department does spend some money renewing mangrove forests and preserving old mangrove forests but according to Rafiqul, the government’s conservation efforts are “very limited”. And, he continues, “even then these works are not being done properly. As a result, the forests are not being protected. People in the affected areas are at risk due to lack of forest protection.”

A recent example of this is the Rampal coal power station, which has been approved by the government and is currently being constructed in close proximity to the Sundarbans. The harmful effects of the coal power plant will destroy the forest, pollute water sources and displace local communities, taking away their homes and livelihoods. Despite protests from local environmental groups, the government approved the project, providing a further threat to the mangrove forest that Bangladesh relies so heavily on. In yet another example of banks financing the climate crisis, it was Barclays that funded the Rampal plant, paying $300m to initiate the project.

But the lack of adequate government assistance has led to an incredible, people-led system of voluntary work to protect their communities. As the monsoon season approaches, the people on the west coast of Bangladesh have to undertake embankment repairs. Rafiqul describes how “Thousands of people from different villages gather to repair the weak embankment” and “Many times at night they guard the embankment” to protect villages from flooding. Whilst this is emblematic of the Bangladesh government’s systemic failures to protect its citizens, it speaks to the spirit of community organising in the region.

Rafiqul believes that this spirit is best exemplified by the work by women and young people in their work regenerating the mangrove forest. “At one time of the year, the fruits of various trees float in the tidal water from the Sundarbans. These were used by the people near the Sundarbans as cooking fuel. But with that fruit, I have seen the initiative to build ‘mangrove nurseries’ in many places. This nursery has been developed on the initiative of women. The saplings of this tree are being planted outside the embankment in the area adjacent to the Sundarbans. As a result, the natural walls are getting stronger.”