By Snigdha Ghosh and Shahina Pervin, Shushilan

For the communities that live within the Ganges Delta and the vast Sundarbans mangrove forests on the Bay of Bengal, river erosion driven by cyclones and storm surges is increasingly becoming a fact of life. For the people of Singhortoli, a small coastal village situated on the banks of the Malanch River in Bangladesh, these frequent extreme weather events are consuming valuable char land, stretches of sedimentary land formed by the natural collection of silt deposits along riverbanks.

In land-scarce areas like the Sundarbans, this char land is an important supplement for livelihood activities. At the beginning of 2024, the village faced a rapid erosion of land, which had been used as a grazing area for goatherds.

Char land’s eroded site in Singhortoli.

“Our char landmass was larger two years ago; a stretch of it was used as village road,” said Robtob Mandal, 31, a forest-dependent man who has witnessed many such natural disasters that hit the Sundarbans and coast of Bangladesh. “Last year’s river erosion caused further shrinking of char land.” Robtob lives with his wife, Popy Rani, 26, and 8-year-old son, in Singhortoli village.

The community’s char land was once home to many trees, but they were cut down to build the village road. This bare land is more susceptible to erosion, and during periods of storm surge, more land is lost when the river overflows.

Robtob is a member of the Village Conservation Forum (VCF), a type of community-based participatory forest management group in Bangladesh. Through his attendance at VCF meetings and from media shows on forest conservation, Robtob said he learned that mangrove plantations can help reduce river erosion, mitigate climate change, and restore ecosystems.He proposed establishing a mangrove plantation on the affected char land and organized a group of people to approach their village’s Union Parishad (UP; a type of local government body in Bangladesh). The UP agreed to support the group’s proposal, and played a crucial role by providing funds and technical support for successful planting and maintenance.

“Our Union Parishad Chairman inspected the char land at our request and provided funds of 70,000 BDT (577 USD) for mangrove plantation and fencing. We raised additional funds by contributing as much as we could,” Robtob said.

Robtob Mandal and Popy Rani showing the char’s plantation site.

The community collected tree saplings from the area’s forestry management office and sprouted fruits from the Sundarbans’ rivers to grow more saplings. The Singhortoli VCF members play a vital role by contributing their time and effort to plant the saplings and install protective fencing.

“Mangrove plantations enhance coastal protection, increase carbon sequestration, and boost biodiversity. Our local community involvement in these efforts, paired with traditional knowledge, leads to more effective conservation outcomes. Together, we are making a positive impact on our environment!” Robtob said.

Like many in his community, Robtob relies on the Sundarbans as a fishery to support his family. But dwindling fish populations have led to reduced incomes for many, making the alternative source of livelihood offered by char land even more critical.

“I used to rely entirely on the Sundarbans for sustaining my family. Living by the river, I could easily enter the forest with a permit to catch fish with my boat and net, but now the fish catch is decreasing,” Robtob reflects his concerns. Robtob estimates that his income from a week-long fishing trip has decreased from 25,000-30,000 BDT (206–247 USD) about 7 years ago to just 7,000-12,000 BDT (57–98 USD) today.

Extreme climatic events, decreasing ecosystem services of Sundarbans and the constant threat of forest bandits, the criminals who capture fishermen to demand ransom from families, have compelled the community to adapt to new alternative livelihoods.

Responding to the need for more community participation, Shushilan, a Bangladesh NGO, partnered with the Forest Department to organize the VCF into smaller, sub-VCF groups at the hamlet-level. These smaller group meetings enabled greater participation among women and men and enhanced capacity to respond to challenges at the community level.

Community women removing weed.

In Bangladesh, Landesa is partnering with Shushilan on the Coastal Livelihoods and Mangroves project, part of a regional initiative across six countries in the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia to improve lives and livelihoods and strengthen climate resilience. The mangrove forests in this ecoregion are rich in biological diversity, store vast amounts of carbon, and offer a vital source of livelihood for more than 73 million people. By strengthening laws and policies regarding forest tenure, land use planning, and climate mitigation, Landesa and its local partners are helping to protect a way of life while advancing climate resilience for thousands of coastal communities like Robtob’s.

It was through attending the sub-VCF meeting in his village that Robtob became motivated to adopt alternative livelihoods, both to improve his family’s welfare and better conserve the Sundarbans ecosystem.

“I discovered my skill as a carpenter and began crafting wooden beehive frames for honey harvesting, selling them online and to local honey harvesters from October to March. I earn 15,000–20,000 BDT (123–164 USD) monthly and primarily use reclaimed wood to promote sustainable natural resource management,” he said.

Robtob hopes to embark on a resilient chapter in everyone’s lives in Singhortoli with the initiative of mangrove plantation, embracing innovative approaches to sustainable living.

Robtob and Popy told about their lives and community led mangrove plantation.

“Recovery of the natural losses will take time,” he notes, “but I feel optimistic when I see the young trees growing on our char land, (and as) we try to reduce our reliance on the Sundarbans forests by adopting other livelihoods.”

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Snigdha Ghosh, Advocacy Officer, Climate Resilience, Mangroves Project, and Shahina Pervin, Deputy Director, Program, both work with Shushilan, a Bangladesh-based NGO and Landesa partner.