Roles of Non-Government Organizations in Restoring Mangrove Ecosystem and Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in Indian Sundarbans

• In Event: NGOs and CSOs in climate adaptation

Abstract

Sundarbans is the world’s largest continuous mangrove ecosystem, spread across 10,000 square kilometers across India and Bangladesh. Indian Sundarbans are spread over 4,200 square kilometers and comprise 48 forested and 54 habited islands. Due to the impact of climate change, the natural estuarine ecosystem is disrupted, and the life of coastal communities is becoming vulnerable (Ghosh et al., 2015). Especially, periodic super cyclonic events, sea-level rise, tidal erosion, and extensive aquaculture have become major drivers for deforestation (Friess et al., 2019; Samanta et al., 2021). Restoring Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem is critically important; it provides essential ecosystem services for human well-being and home to many vulnerable species (Ghosh et al., 2015). This research explores the role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in restoration of mangrove ecosystem and in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Goal 1 (No Poverty) and Goal 13 (Climate Action). Political ecology is used as the theoretical framework to investigate the power dynamics of state agencies, NGOs, and local communities (Thompson, 2018). Ethnographic fieldwork, and in-depth interviews with NGOs and social activists were conducted in the different parts of Indian Sundarbans.
After the devastating impact of cyclone Aila in 2009, the mangrove restoration program has been started rigorously across different parts of Sundarbans by the state forest department and NGOs. However, the mangrove restoration projects have not achieved the pre-determined goal on ground; rather, felling of mangroves is increasing for aquaculture. This research reveals that NGOs have played a significant role in awaring local communities about the value of the mangrove ecosystem. Nevertheless, the restoration projects have been failing repeatedly due to poor monitoring and limited knowledge of species and site selection for plantation. Local communities are unwilling to participate due to lack of incentives and asymmetric power sharing among stakeholders. The livelihood of the local communities primarily depended upon agriculture, fishing, and forest-based. As the consequence of periodic super cyclones, they are trapped in poverty cycle. Some NGOs are trying to provide assistance and generate alternative livelihood opportunities, which is insufficient to pull people from poverty. Poverty and mangrove regeneration are closely associated with each other; until securing the minimal basic needs of the local community cannot able to invest their labour in mangrove management. The research suggests that there is a need for collaboration among all stakeholders, including local community, forest department, and national and international NGOs, for restoring mangrove and achieving goals of SDGs (van Wessel et al., 2021).

Keywords: Non-Governmental Organization, Mangrove Restoration, Climate Change, Sustainable Development Goal, Local Community

References

Friess, D. A., Rogers, K., Lovelock, C. E., Krauss, K. W., Hamilton, S. E., Lee, S. Y., Lucas, R., Primavera, J., Rajkaran, A., & Shi, S. (2019). The state of the world's mangrove forests: Past, present, and future. Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour., 44, 89–115. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-101718-033302

Ghosh, A., Schmidt, S., Fickert, T., & Nüsser, M. (2015). The Indian Sundarban Mangrove Forests: History, Utilization, Conservation Strategies and Local Perception. Diversity, 7(2), 149–169. https://doi.org/10.3390/d7020149

Samanta, S., Hazra, S., Mondal, P. P., Chanda, A., Giri, S., French, J. R., & Nicholls, R. J. (2021). Assessment and Attribution of Mangrove Forest Changes in the Indian Sundarbans from 2000 to 2020. Remote Sensing, 13(24), 4957. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13244957

Thompson, B. S. (2018). The political ecology of mangrove forest restoration in Thailand: Institutional arrangements and power dynamics. Land Use Policy, 78, 503–514. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.07.016

van Wessel, M., Naz, F., & Sahoo, S. (2021). Complementarities in CSO Collaborations: How Working with Diversity Produces Advantages. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 32(4), 717–730. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-020-00227-4

Authors

• Amir Sohel, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur

• Farhat Naz, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur