Search results

1 – 10 of 101
Book part
Publication date: 4 December 2012

Yusuke Noguchi, Rajarshi DasGupta and Rajib Shaw

Mangrove has the potential to adapt climate change threats like sea level rise, extreme high water events, and coastal erosions. The large stretched root systems of the mangrove…

Abstract

Mangrove has the potential to adapt climate change threats like sea level rise, extreme high water events, and coastal erosions. The large stretched root systems of the mangrove acts as a natural barrier to catch hold of the run off soil, leading to accretion of coastal areas. Due to human and other natural activities, mangroves in different parts of the world are being degraded. Citing examples from India, this chapter provides ways of unique mangrove comanagement system with the involvement of local communities, NGOs, and local governments.

Details

Ecosystem-Based Adaptation
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78052-691-1

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 14 August 2023

Sumana Bandyopadhyay, Chinmoyee Mallik and Utpal Roy

The Sundarbans is a unique ecosystem, the most expansive mangrove system in the world covering the Ganga–Brahmaputra–Meghna delta system and spread over 10,000 sq.km across India…

Abstract

The Sundarbans is a unique ecosystem, the most expansive mangrove system in the world covering the Ganga–Brahmaputra–Meghna delta system and spread over 10,000 sq.km across India and Bangladesh. The Indian Sundarbans have been witnessed to large-scale conversion of mangroves to settled agriculture and steady growth of population over the decades. With time, while population growth has taken place, there has been no significant change in the development scenario, as the agriculture and fishing dependent communities have remained trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty. Its deltaic location and its position in the path of cyclones, tidal surges and seasonal floods have made the people and landscape of Sundarbans more vulnerable than ever before. Cyclones affecting this region have grown both in frequency and intensity over the years and have caused devastation to the land, homes, lives and livelihoods. The problem of salinity has also affected the region relentlessly. Given this scenario, scenario of progressing vulnerabilities, livelihood losses have led to a gradual increase in out-migration of the adult male population. This disaster-led outmigration from Sundarban region as a whole has affected the social fabric of displaced communities to a great extent. This chapter makes an attempt to discuss results of sample surveys across six villages in three CD Blocks of Sagar, Gosaba and Kultali to trace the nature and dimension of the migration patterns of the region.

Details

International Migration, COVID-19, and Environmental Sustainability
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80262-536-3

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 11 November 2020

Md. Hafiz Iqbal

This study provides empirical evidence of the economic valuation of ecosystem services. It examines the willingness-to-pay (WTP) and compensating surplus (CS) in response to…

1753

Abstract

Purpose

This study provides empirical evidence of the economic valuation of ecosystem services. It examines the willingness-to-pay (WTP) and compensating surplus (CS) in response to policy change based on focus group discussion (FGD) and survey.

Design/methodology/approach

A randomized conjoint analysis based experiment was conducted in seven villages of Sundarbans in Bangladesh to elicit stated preference data and measure WTP and CS. Each respondent faced three options in every choice card-two hypothetical alternatives and one status quo scheme. Four alternatives – payment for ecosystem services, storm protection, erosion control and habitat for fish breeding – are randomly and simultaneously assigned to the two alternatives.

Findings

The findings suggest that age, income, education, family size and occupational status are the influential factor to choice the relevant attributes of ecosystem services and their levels. Villagers would like to pay annually Tk. 703, Tk. 281, and Tk. 59 for lower, moderate, and higher ecosystem services. With these WTP, they get surplus Tk. 760, Tk. 138, and Tk. 346 respectively.

Research limitations/implications

The lower WTP does not necessarily imply low demand for ecosystem service, as the findings from WTP illustrate potential demand for ecosystem services of Sundarbans.

Practical implications

The study provides an important insight into the ecosystem services and values of Sundarbans mangrove forests for welfare and can inform policy for sustainable use of resources of this forest.

Originality/value

There is a crucial gap in understanding what could villagers be ready for WTP for better ecosystem services of Sundarbans mangrove forest, how do payment based ecosystem services, as a proxy for the conservation of Sundarbans mangrove, and to what extent the policy can be strengthened.

Details

Forestry Economics Review, vol. 2 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2631-3030

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 June 2013

Javed Siddiqui

The paper seeks to respond to calls by Jones for more studies exploring the possibility of operationalising accounting for biodiversity.

2359

Abstract

Purpose

The paper seeks to respond to calls by Jones for more studies exploring the possibility of operationalising accounting for biodiversity.

Design/methodology/approach

Archival data are used to produce a natural inventory report for the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest declared as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 2007.

Findings

The study extends prior research on biodiversity accounting by exploring the applicability of Jones' natural inventory model in the context of Bangladesh. The results indicate that application of Jones' natural inventory model is feasible in the context of developing countries such as Bangladesh. It is also recognised that the socio‐economic and political environment prevailing in developing economies may lead to the emergence of important stakeholder groups including local civil society bodies, international donor agencies and foreign governments. Biodiversity accounting may provide a legitimate basis for the government in allaying concerns regarding environmental stewardship and assist in negotiations with powerful stakeholder groups on important issues such as financial assistance after natural disasters and claims to the global climate change fund.

Originality/value

This is one of the early attempts to operationalise biodiversity accounting in the context of a developing economy.

Details

Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, vol. 26 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-3574

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 11 August 2014

Sufia Zaman, Subhra Bikash Bhattacharyya, Prosenjit Pramanick, Atanu Kumar Raha, Shankhadeep Chakraborty and Abhijit Mitra

Mangroves constitute an important ecosystem because of their global extent and high productivity. These plants thrive in the intertidal zones of the tropics and subtropics that…

Abstract

Mangroves constitute an important ecosystem because of their global extent and high productivity. These plants thrive in the intertidal zones of the tropics and subtropics that are characterized by regular tidal inundation and fluctuating salinity. Mangrove species are well adapted, both morphologically and physiologically, to survive under saline conditions, but in hypersaline environment their growth is reduced. The present chapter is a critical analysis on the impact of salinity on the growth of a common mangrove species (Hertiera fomes). The analysis has been carried out in the framework of Indian Sundarbans, which has contrasting salinity profiles in different segments owing to barrage discharge and siltation phenomena. Analysis of the decadal profile of salinity indicates a gradual lowering in the western Indian Sundarbans due to Farrakka barrage discharge and run-off from catchments. The central sector, however, exhibits a contrasting picture of increment of aquatic salinity through time, mainly due to disconnection of the Bidyadhari River with the Ganga–Bhagrirathi–Hooghly River system (in the western part). This has made the Matla River in the central Indian Sundarbans hypersaline in nature (that used to get water from the Bidyadhari River) finally leading to an insecure ecological condition for the growth and survival of mangroves. The possible remedial measures to combat the situation have also been listed considering the ecological framework of the study zone.

Details

Water Insecurity: A Social Dilemma
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-882-2

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 13 August 2014

Tarun Kumar Mondal

Sundarban is the largest active delta in the world lying at the estuaries of the Rivers Ganga and Brahmaputra. This region is rich in biodiversity and declared World Heritage Site

Abstract

Sundarban is the largest active delta in the world lying at the estuaries of the Rivers Ganga and Brahmaputra. This region is rich in biodiversity and declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO. This delta region is prone to severe natural disasters as well as man-induced catastrophic events. Gosaba Block which is identified as the study area located in Indian part of the Sundarban delta, in South Twenty Four Parganas district of West Bengal puts forward an ideal portrait for people’s struggle and survival strategies against natural disasters. An attempt has been made in this chapter to study the perception of the main occupational groups on the effects of major natural disasters viz. floods, tidal surges and cyclones in Gosaba Block. An endeavor has also been made to explore local survival strategies which are effective for their sustenance in this vulnerable region. Three-hundred persons from different occupational groups, that is, people engaged in agriculture, fishing, crab collection, tiger prawn seed collection, wood collection and honey collection have been surveyed through a pre-designed questionnaire. Six Focus Group Discussions have been conducted, in which each of the groups comprised six members from a particular occupation. The study has revealed that all the occupational groups perceive threats differently from natural disasters and their perceptions vary according to their levels of exposure to the environment. To cope with the natural disasters, each occupational group has devised distinct survival strategies. For proper management of natural disasters in Sundarban delta region, the perception of people with different livelihoods and their survival strategies should be incorporated.

Details

Risks and Conflicts: Local Responses to Natural Disasters
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-821-1

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 March 2022

Senjuti Saha, Somnath Hazra and Tuhin Ghosh

The decision of livelihood based on the embankment characters is essentially multivariate. Making an effort to do the bivariate modelling may eliminate the useful socio-economic…

Abstract

Purpose

The decision of livelihood based on the embankment characters is essentially multivariate. Making an effort to do the bivariate modelling may eliminate the useful socio-economic information in the interdependent and simultaneous adaptation choices (Dorfman, 1996). Hence, the more appropriate method is multiple-choice decisions to livelihood adoption based on the embankment category. The purpose of this study is to find out whether the inhabitants of Sundarban really consider embankment as their “lifeline”, what they think about its sustainability and what the outer world thinks about the embankment.

Design/methodology/approach

To analyse this study, the multinomial logit (MNL) model has been used. This model gives a platform to study the influence of the factors on livelihood choice decisions. In this MNL model, the livelihood decisions are categorized based on their primary livelihood status at the survey. Thus, the choice of livelihood among individuals is explained in terms of the livelihood and the household characteristics.

Findings

This result can possibly explain the fact that increasing population or man power and increasing annual income and protection from embankment failure may reduce the need to choose any other form of economy apart from the indigenous one, as the society is dominated by farmers who own very small plots of land and face consequences like crop failure every year because of natural calamities. A unit increase in annual income would result in a 0.53% decrease in the probability of choosing labourer as occupation and 0.57% decrease in the probability of choosing fishing/“meen” collection as occupation.

Research limitations/implications

The district is vast enough, and it is difficult to study all the blocks. Initially, nine blocks were identified as affected blocks from various literature reviews. Those blocks are Sagar, Patharpratima, Kultali, Gosaba, Kakdwip, Canning I, Canning II, Namkhana and Basanti. Pilot surveys were done to all those nine blocks identified above. After such a long and rigorous procedure, blocks were verified from available secondary data. Villages from vulnerable and less vulnerable parts of the later mentioned blocks are picked up as purposive sample, and household surveys are done on the basis of random sampling.

Social implications

If the year of schooling is enhanced, then the tertiary sector gets benefited, but the indigenous society of Sundarban cannot depend on such a sector as the scope for development is very limited. Consequently, policies aiming at promoting adaptation to challenged livelihood need to emphasize the crucial role of providing basic needs for better production techniques; and more investment in this sector will surely enable villagers to adapt cultivation following age-old tradition.

Originality/value

The study uses the MNL model to investigate the factors guiding household choices of different occupational adaptation methods, and cultivation is found to be the automatic choice for the inhabitants of Sundarban. Cultivation is impossible without embankment. Thus, the embankment in Sundarban is considered, as “lifeline” is established. So it can be said that livelihood in this region depends on the stability of embankment. This age-old structure is susceptible to vulnerability because of its unscientific construction and improper maintenance. The main objective of this study is to find out whether the inhabitants of Sundarban really consider embankment as their “lifeline”, what they think about its sustainability and what the outer world thinks about the embankment.

Details

International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, vol. 13 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1759-5908

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 11 August 2014

Abhijit Mitra, Sufia Zaman and Subhra Bikash Bhattacharyya

The Gangetic delta, sustaining the Sundarbans mangrove forest at the apex of the Bay of Bengal is recognized as one of the most diversified and productive ecosystems in the Indian…

Abstract

The Gangetic delta, sustaining the Sundarbans mangrove forest at the apex of the Bay of Bengal is recognized as one of the most diversified and productive ecosystems in the Indian subcontinent. The deltaic lobe is unique for its wilderness, mangrove gene pool and tiger habitat. However, due to intense industrial activities in the upstream zone, and several anthropogenic factors, the aquatic phase in the western part of the deltaic complex is exposed to pollution from domestic sewage and industrial effluents leading to serious impacts on biota. The presence of Haldia port-cum-industrial complex in the upstream region of the lower Gangetic delta (adjacent to western sector of Indian Sundarbans) has accelerated the pollution problem to a much greater dimension. The organic and inorganic wastes released from industries and urban units contain substantial concentrations of heavy metals. The present article aims to highlight the level of selective heavy metals (zinc, copper, and lead) in the water and muscle of a commercially important shellfish species (Penaeus monodon, commonly known as tiger prawn) collected from two sectors (western and central) in the Indian Sundarbans. Heavy metals are accumulated in the prawn muscle in the following order – zinc > copper > lead – which is similar to the order in the ambient estuarine water. Significant spatial variations of heavy metal concentrations in estuarine water and prawn muscle were observed between the selected sectors, which reflect the adverse impact of intense industrialization, unplanned tourism, and rapid urbanization on the mangrove ecosystem and its biotic community, particularly in the western Indian Sundarbans.

Details

Water Insecurity: A Social Dilemma
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-882-2

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 July 2019

Mohan Kumar Bera

People from chronic flood-affected areas in the Sundarban islands understand that individual efforts are not sufficient to deal with the floods of increasing magnitude caused by…

Abstract

Purpose

People from chronic flood-affected areas in the Sundarban islands understand that individual efforts are not sufficient to deal with the floods of increasing magnitude caused by tidal waves in coastal areas and take proactive measures to minimise the impact of floods before turning to the government for support. Their perception of disaster risk influences them to engage in collective activities and develop strategies to mitigate flood disasters. However, many villagers do not participate in collective disaster management activities. The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors of homogeneity that motivate people to work together to reduce the impact of natural hazards.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative research has been conducted in Sibpur and Gobordhanpur villages of Indian Sundarban islands. Participant observation and in-depth interview have been applied to explore the collective activities of disaster reduction. Affected, non-affected villagers, representatives of the local government and government administrative officers have been interviewed to understand the disaster management efforts of the government and local people.

Findings

The research has found that drivers of homogeneity and leadership are important for collective activities in disaster management. Threat of disasters, potential loss of livelihood and damages of properties, emotional attachment with the village and ties with extended family members influence villagers to engage in collective activity. Collective activities of villagers help to address the local needs of disaster reduction to the government in a better way.

Originality/value

The study has revealed that strong leadership is required in effective collective activities to manage disaster in the Indian Sundarban islands.

Details

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, vol. 28 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-3562

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 September 2014

Md. Nasif Ahsan

The cumulative effects of climate change exacerbate interruption of social-ecological system. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the consumption smoothing along…

Abstract

Purpose

The cumulative effects of climate change exacerbate interruption of social-ecological system. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the consumption smoothing along with other socioeconomic parameters of households affects the common pool resource base of a forest in an economic depression resulted from climate change triggered disasters.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is a field level study of Koyra sub-district in the Southwestern coastal region of Bangladesh. Several parameters namely climatic trends and events, damage pattern suffered by households, change in land ownership and occupation pattern and consumption dependency pattern were considered. Methods used for data collection were household questionnaire survey and focus group discussions in the study area.

Findings

Both the intensity and frequency of climate change led catastrophes are found higher in the study area resulting damage of assets and capital goods of households. The average annual disaster damage borne by per household is found US$177. Over the last two decades 8.21 per cent households become landless. During same time span more than 25 per cent households switched from cropping to other non-agricultural occupations and more than 26 per cent households depend on forest resource for their consumption smoothing.

Originality/value

The paper provides insights how climate change led disasters induce the households to depend on the resource from the mangrove forest Sundarbans for their livelihood earning as well as consumption smoothing.

Details

Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. 25 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7835

Keywords

1 – 10 of 101