Degradation of Sundarban and climate change

Abstract

The effects of climate change are visible all over the world. The climate is changing due to human activities, which create emissions of greenhouse gasses. These changes will have effects on the natural environment, in addition to human societies and economies. Sundarban is the largest mangrove forest in the world. It is situated in the south – western part of Bangladesh. Three parts of Sundarban have been declared as World Heritage sites by UNESCO in 1997, these are Kachikhali-Katha in Sarankhola district, Neelkamol in Khulna district and Mandarbari in the Burigoalini district. However, the forest biodiversity is threatened by pressures such as climate change and human mismanagement. The natural pressures, like storm, sea-level rise and changing temperature have consequences for Sundarban. In addition, there are man-made pressures like logging, fisheries, factories and exploitative harvest which are worsening the situation for the forest, as well as for the people depending on the forest resources. Due to the above man made and natural pressures the Sundarban are in big threat for its existence. The main tree, Sundari, is suffering by diseases. Other trees is reducing by continuous harvests, the honey can also not be seen like before, the wild life are in threat and the fresh water flow almost stopped due to the rivers siltation. The fish spices are reduced numerically due to unethical fishing methods (like using small whole nets and throwing poison). The locals’ productions are reduced due to high salinity and shrimp farming. The present situation is that the locals’ livelihoods are in threat. In this study, three villages are selected from three different districts of Sundarban, which are Satkhira, Khulna and Bagerhut district. The study ensures the local peoples participation through baseline survey and focus group discussion. The pressure, state, response model are used as framework for this study. The study shows that the pressure on the forest resources is far bigger than the responses to halt the degradation of the forest. Sustainable use of the forest resources is vital to the country’s economy and environment. Sustainable management of the forest resources is key issues for the livelihood for the people in the area.