Management strategies for sustainable exploitation of aquatic resources of the Sundarbans mangrove, Bangladesh

Abstract

The Sundarbans forms an impenetrable saltwater swamp of tidal estuaries and creeks, and is the largest mangrove forest in the world, covering about 10,000 sq km in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. This transboundary ecosystem is extremely important both ecologically and economically as a nursery and breeding area for key fisheries including those of the Bay of Bengal. The site is notable for a long history of scientific management and wise use of its wetland resources with protected areas established along the southern periphery of Bangladesh. But a long-term ecological change is taking place in the Sundarbans, due to the eastward migration of the Ganges river. Forest cover, species diversity and ecosystem function have declined despite several forest policies, laws and management plans enacted to protect them. The effectiveness of these regulations is limited due to poor implementation. The current management situation includes a moratorium on wood extraction. For fishing, recreation and non-wood forest products exploitation is regulated through permits, fees, and forest patrols. Extraction is prohibited in the wildlife sanctuaries. Rivers and canals identified as key fish breeding grounds have been restricted as well. In the past 15 years, land use in the Sundarbans impact zone has been affected by a significant transformation from rice-based farming systems to shrimp aquaculture, with numerous adverse social and environmental effects, including increased pressure from unsustainable extraction of resources from the Sundarbans. Currently, no monitoring and evaluation framework is being implemented to ensure that resource conditions and uses are within sustainable limits. Dialogues are underway between Bangladesh and India with a view toward enhanced collaboration in the management of this important world heritage site.