Landscape Narrative of the Sundarban: A Comprehensive Summary of the Transboundary Mangrove Ecosystem

A thick fog crawls slowly over the narrow channels of water that crisscross the delta and an egret emerges from a mangrove and gently takes flight as the forest wakes up to another beautiful morning. Natives from the nearby villages take out their boats to venture into the forest in search of fish, crabs, honey and timber, fully aware that tigers lurk in its shadows.

This is the Sundarban – vibrant, mysterious, spectacular and, at times, dangerous.

This opening passage from "Landscape Narrative of the Sundarban: A Summary" by Bushra Nishat and Ganesh Pangare captures the essence of one of the world's most unique and vital ecosystems. For the first time, this narrative attempts to bridge a critical knowledge gap by presenting the Sundarban as a single, integrated landscape spanning both India and Bangladesh, rather than two separate administrative entities.

Why This Narrative Matters

Since the partition of 1947, the Sundarban – though geographically contiguous – has been administratively split between India and Bangladesh. This division has led to the region being viewed and managed as two separate ecosystems rather than one interconnected landscape. The consequences of this fragmented approach include:

·         Duplication of management efforts

·         Incomplete understanding of ecological processes

·         Ineffective resource allocation

·         Missed opportunities for collaborative conservation

·         Limited ability to address transboundary challenges

This narrative, for the first time, tries to bridge the knowledge gap by collating data from both countries in order to facilitate the development of a collaborative action plan for the Sundarban region.

Definition of the Sundarban Region in This Narrative

The narrative defines the Sundarban region comprehensively as:

This definition recognizes that the Sundarban represents not only the uninhabited mangrove forests but also the bordering areas that are home to people directly dependent on the forest for their lives and livelihood.

Objectives of the Landscape Narrative

The narrative was created with four primary objectives:

1.     Create a multilayered and holistic understanding of the Sundarban to initiate planning activities that transcend political boundaries and multiple scales

2.    Align and analyse information on ecological, socio-economic and cultural variables from different sources and records to support joint understanding

3.    Synthesize current literature to identify effective management approaches and practices of the past

4.    Identify gaps in learning, knowledge, data and information on the Sundarban

The Physical Landscape: A Dynamic, Ever-Changing Delta

Formation and Characteristics

The Sundarban spreads over an area of about 10,200 km² shared between India and Bangladesh. Most of the present-day Sundarban region was formed during the last 5,000 years by bio-tidal processes and marine and atmospheric agencies.

The Role of Tides and Water Systems

The Sundarban landscape is dominated by deltaic formations that include a network of water channels where freshwater rivers and canals mix with tidal seawater channels. The tides play an important role in sculpting the physical features of the land, and the landscape keeps changing from high to low tide.

Key factors shaping the landscape:

·         Tides and currents

·         Sediment deposition

·         Organic matter accumulation

·         Erosion and accretion processes

·         Freshwater inflow from Ganga distributaries

The River System

The rivers in the region are fed by the distributaries of the Ganga river system. The freshwater inflow from these rivers helps mitigate the salinity brought in by the tidal seawater of the Bay of Bengal. However, in recent decades:

·         Salinity has been rising in the area

·         Salinity is moving further inland

·         Causes include man-made diversions and dams

·         Sea level rise due to climate change exacerbates the problem

Vulnerability to Natural Hazards

The fragile ecosystem of the Sundarban and the communities living in and around it are vulnerable to:

Important Note: Studies show that mangroves have the ability to cope with such hazards and, in most cases, recover from the impacts in due course (Spalding et.al. 2014).

The Biological Landscape: Extraordinary Biodiversity

Mangrove Vegetation

Mangroves thrive in tropical estuarine regions where mud-rich land meets sea. Their specialized root systems help them survive high water stress and fluctuations in temperature and salinity. The delicate balance of fresh water and seawater in the Sundarban has helped create a unique ecosystem suitable for mangroves.

Key Mangrove Species:

Historical vs. Current Plant Diversity

Three distinct vegetation types have been documented in relation to varying degrees of water salinity and freshwater flow. The pattern of vegetation succession depends on freshwater rivers that deposit silt, build land, and determine salinity levels.

Impact of Increasing Salinity

Increasing salinity in the region is bringing about changes in vegetation:

·         Trees like the tall sundari mangrove and golpata/nipa palm, abundant fifty years ago, are now on the decline (Islam et al., 2014)

·         Species combination and regular succession patterns are affected

·         Dwarf species are gradually replacing taller trees

·         The full impact on wildlife has not been assessed

Wildlife Diversity

The diverse array of plants, invertebrates and types of habitat in the Sundarban support abundant wildlife, both terrestrial and aquatic. The wildlife has adapted to the freshwater and saline-water environment and the ebb and flow of tides.

Invertebrate Life:
The wetlands sustain billions of:

·         Protozoans

·         Cnidarians

·         Barnacles (Amphibalanus spp.)

·         Oysters (Crassostrea spp.)

·         Lichen and other invertebrates

These organisms support juvenile fish, crabs, prawns, shrimps and molluscs, which seek refuge in the shallow intertidal reaches that characterize the mangrove wetlands.

Vertebrate Wildlife:

The Bengal Tiger:
Importantly, the Sundarban is one of the few places in the world where the Bengal tigers still live in the wild. The tigers are vulnerable to poaching and revenge killing. In the villages around the Sundarban, prevention or resolution of tiger-human conflicts is a major part of tiger conservation efforts.

The Socio-Economic Landscape: People and Livelihoods

Population Dependence

Around 7.5 million people are directly dependent on the Sundarban:

This constitutes nearly 0.1 per cent of the global population dependent on a single ecosystem.

Livelihood Activities

With the moratorium on harvesting of timber in both countries, the most common ways of earning a living include:

Traditional Livelihoods:

·         Fishing (jaleys in Bangladesh)

·         Crab collection

·         Honey and beeswax collection (mouals in Bangladesh)

·         Woodcutting (bawalis in Bangladesh)

·         Shrimp fry collection

·         Nipa-leaf and thatching-grass collection

·         Agriculture (limited due to salinity)

Emerging Livelihoods:

·         Tourism

·         Brackish water shrimp farming

Employment Figures

Population Trends

Poverty Profile

The people of the Sundarban are amongst the poorest in the region and face similar poverty-related issues on both sides of the border:

Common challenges:

·         Poor health conditions

·         Low education levels

·         Limited employment opportunities

·         Inadequate infrastructure

·         Very high risk of cyclones, floods, embankment failures

·         Drinking water scarcity due to increased salinity

Traditional Conservation Ethos

Living in close contact with raw nature, the people of the Sundarban region have great respect for it. Their traditional practices, religious beliefs, rituals, folklore and arts and crafts promote conservation and living in harmony with nature.

Management and Conservation Practices: Historical Context

Colonial Era Management

Significance of Curtis Plan:
The Curtis Plan (1931) remains the last coordinated assessment of the entire Sundarban as one forest. Thereafter, relevant laws, policies and management plans have focused only on their respective sides of the forest.

Current Management Framework

Bangladesh:

India:

Issues and Shared Challenges

Despite national and international concern, political support and significant resource flows, a combination of factors has led to inadequate management and continuous degradation:

Common Challenges

Active Delta Management Challenge

The Sundarban is an active delta region and numerous islands are still being formed and reformed by natural processes. While mangroves help in soil conservation, sea level rise and tidal hydraulics have caused erosion in many islands. This dynamic reality needs to be included in planning and management.

Climate Change Vulnerability

Both countries are vulnerable to:

·         Cyclones

·         Fluctuations in water salinity

·         Flooding

·         Sea level rise affecting agriculture

·         Devastating impacts on fragile ecosystem

Policy Fragmentation

The management policies in both countries reflect their individual priorities, and political borders create the perception that the two sides of the Sundarban are two separate regions.

Data Collection Gaps

Three types of data are crucially required:

Critical Gap: After 1930, there has been no attempt to scientifically assess the Sundarban as a whole.

Non-governmental actors (researchers, scientists, journalists) add to the information database through their studies, but their efforts are temporary and limited.

Emerging Opportunities for Coordinated and Concurrent Activities

Existing Bilateral Agreements

In 2011, India and Bangladesh signed:

1.     Memorandum of Understanding for bilateral cooperation on conservation of the Sundarban

2.    Protocol on the protection of tigers

Proposed strategic actions under these agreements:

·         Joint research and monitoring

·         Sharing of relevant information and technical knowledge (e.g., on tiger–human conflict)

·         Execution of patrolling along borders to prevent poaching and illegal trade

Areas for Enhanced Cooperation

1. Natural Resources Management

2. Disaster Management

·         Technical cooperation

·         Capacity development

·         Development of regional mechanisms

·         Early warning systems

3. Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction

4. Fisheries and Aquaculture

·         Joint fish stock assessment

·         Helping local fishermen improve productivity and profitability

·         Identifying more fish sanctuaries

·         Fostering backyard hatcheries to reduce dependence on wild shrimp fry

5. Marine Resource Conservation

·         Ocean research collaboration

·         Marine protected areas

·         Integrating mangroves conservation in marine resources conservation

·         Joint courses and curriculum development

·         Applied/advanced research (marine bio-technology, marine fertilization, habitat modelling)

6. Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation

The Way Forward: Making Collaborative Action Workable

The Fundamental Challenge

While it is obvious that the Sundarban has to be considered as one ecosystem, the issue really is how to make collaborative action workable.

Complexities to address:

Essential Elements for Success

1. Regional Platforms

Regional platforms need to be established and developed to work alongside other regional platforms across sectors and with the drivers of change in different rivers and basins.

2. Joint Bodies

In recent years, several joint bodies have been set up by the governments of India and Bangladesh for the protection of the Sundarban. However, the current level of cooperation is not enough to keep up with the dynamics of climate change and emerging socio-economic needs.

3. Consensus Building

Consensus building in joint ecology management and conservation efforts starts with:

·         National interests (including economic development, security)

·         Concerns and needs of local population

·         Trust and political will

·         Platforms for dialogue and transparency

·         Knowledge and information

·         Capacity and tools for integration

·         Identification of mutual benefits

4. Effective Institutions

Successful management of the Sundarban will require crafting of effective institutions at multiple levels in order to provide incentives and disincentives.

Critical requirements:

·         Institutions need to be truly representative

·         Processes that support interaction with stakeholders must be included

·         Agreements will work on the ground only if they involve stakeholders and have their support

·         Must take into account local politics

5. Integration with National and International Agendas

In order to catalyse and mobilize regional platforms, it is necessary to include them in national agendas and international dialogues.

Conclusion: A Shared Vision for the Sundarban

The Sundarban, with its 10,200 square kilometers of mangrove forest, 7.5 million dependent people, extraordinary biodiversity, and global significance as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, represents one of the most important conservation challenges and opportunities in South Asia.

This landscape narrative, for the first time, presents a holistic view of the Sundarban as one integrated ecosystem rather than two separate administrative entities. By collating data from both India and Bangladesh, it reveals:

·         The interconnectedness of ecological processes that transcend political boundaries

·         The shared challenges of poverty, vulnerability, and resource degradation facing communities on both sides

·         The common heritage of traditional conservation practices and cultural values

·         The gaps in knowledge and management that result from fragmented approaches

·         The enormous potential for bilateral cooperation to achieve what neither country can accomplish alone

As climate change accelerates, sea levels rise, and pressures on natural resources intensify, the need for collaborative action becomes not just desirable but essential. The multiple treaties signed between India and Bangladesh, the existing joint bodies, and the growing recognition of shared interests provide a foundation upon which to build.

The way forward requires:

1.     Political will at the highest levels

2.    Inclusive institutions that represent all stakeholders

3.    Integrated data and shared knowledge

4.    Joint planning that transcends borders

5.    Community involvement at every stage

6.    Sustainable financing that recognizes the full value of the ecosystem

7.     Adaptive management that responds to changing conditions

The Sundarban has survived for millennia through natural processes of adaptation and renewal. Today, it needs human cooperation to continue thriving. This landscape narrative offers a roadmap for that cooperation – a vision of two nations working together to protect one of the world's greatest natural treasures.

As the fog lifts on another morning in the Sundarban, revealing the intricate dance of water, forest, and life, the question is not whether India and Bangladesh should cooperate, but how quickly they can move from narrative to action.

Key Takeaways: Sundarban Landscape Narrative