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This study was conducted among communities surrounding the Sundarban mangrove forest in Bangladesh with the aim of assessing farmers' participation in agroforestry systems, as well as the opportunities it provides for enhancing sustainable and resilient livelihoods. However, field work was conducted between July 2014 and July 2015 to collect data from 120 respondents who were selected using a multistage sampling technique in four sub-districts (Debhata, Tala, Kalaroa and Kaliganj) in Satkhira, Bangladesh. The results showed that almost 100% of the respondents practiced homestead agroforestry traditionally and more than 56% practiced aquasilviculture. Besides, majority of the farmers (40%) practiced boundary plantation, 31% practiced alley cropping and the rest (29%) practiced random and mixed plantations. Farmers' reported improved opportunities for livelihood diversification by working with agroforestry as of possessing benefits from trees, fruits, medicinal plants, fuel wood and fish as well as opportunities for the rearing of livestock and the cultivation of food crops. The results also showed that these livelihood activities resulted in an enhanced ability of respondents to construct and repair housing (physical capital), purchase land (natural capital), save money (economic capital), fund children's education (human capital) among others. In all, these results suggest that agroforestry is a sustainable alternative livelihood option which provides opportunities for reduced dependency on protected forests, in addition to increased potential for livelihood diversification and ability to cope with climate change impacts and other change drivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid impact assessment of cyclones on coastal ecosystems is critical for timely rescue and rehabilitation operations in highly human‐dominated landscapes. Such assessments should also include damage assessments of vegetation for restoration planning in impacted natural landscapes. Our objective is to develop a remote sensing‐based approach combining satellite data derived from optical (Sentinel‐2), radar (Sentinel‐1), and LiDAR (Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation) platforms for rapid assessment of post‐cyclone inundation in non‐forested areas and vegetation damage in a primarily forested ecosystem. We apply this multi‐scalar approach for assessing damages caused by the cyclone Amphan that hit coastal India and Bangladesh in May 2020, severely flooding several districts in the two countries, and causing destruction to the Sundarban mangrove forests. Our analysis shows that at least 6821 sq. km. land across the 39 study districts was inundated even after 10 days after the cyclone. We further calculated the change in forest greenness as the difference in normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) pre‐ and post‐cyclone. Our findings indicate a <0.2 unit decline in NDVI in 3.45 sq. km. of the forest. Rapid assessment of post‐cyclone damage in mangroves is challenging due to limited navigability of waterways, but critical for planning of mitigation and recovery measures. We demonstrate the utility of Otsu method, an automated statistical approach of the Google Earth Engine platform to identify inundated areas within days after a cyclone. Our radar‐based inundation analysis advances current practices because it requires minimal user inputs, and is effective in the presence of high cloud cover. Such rapid assessment, when complemented with detailed information on species and vegetation composition, can inform appropriate restoration efforts in severely impacted regions and help decision makers efficiently manage resources for recovery and aid relief. We provide the datasets from this study on an open platform to aid in future research and planning endeavors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spanning across Bangladesh and India, the Sundarban Delta consists of over a thousand islands, the majority of which are protected. These islands are important for the rich biodiversity and unique species found here. However, these islands are also at the forefront of climate change due to the impact of rising sea levels and extreme weather events. Therefore, we analyzed the long-term transformations in the land use land cover (LULC) between 1999 and 2020. We used a variety of geostatistical methods, including optimized hot spots cold spots and join count statistics, to examine the spatial patterns of changes in LULC across the study area. The results of our analysis revealed substantial changes in the spatial patterns of mangroves and pond aquaculture. The changes revealed a distinct north-south demarcation in spatial patterns, in the form of clustering of mangroves in the uninhabited islands located in the south and pond aquaculture clustered in the northern inhabited islands. The loss of area under mangroves was concentrated in the southern edges of the islands, which were most exposed to erosion in the open ocean. Nevertheless, we observed an increase in the area under mangroves in some of the northern riverine islands (17 km 2 ). In the case of pond aquaculture, it was mostly concentrated in inhabited islands in the north. Most of the expansions were concentrated in the Indian part of the delta (631 km 2 ). It is noteworthy that because of effective conservation measures, there was very limited overlap between mangroves and pond aquaculture, denoting the conversion of agricultural land to pond aquaculture instead of mangroves. Thus, the results of our study revealed the importance of local level conservation policies and anthropogenic activities, such as deforestation and local level disturbance like over-extraction of water and pollution, on the changing patterns of LULC across this unique, fragile ecosystem. Future studies may incorporate a finer resolution time series of LULC changes over time and space to enable more detailed analysis., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Climate changes and anthropogenic activities have paved the way for the dislocation of native species into areas located far away from their natural habitats. To this end, the Bay of Bengal and its adjacent coast have experienced the invasion of many alien species coming from different oceans, seas and bays around the world. Recently, a single specimen of the Twoblotch ponyfish (Nuchequula blochii) was captured. It had a total length of 69 mm and bodyweight 0.98 g. The specimen was caught at a depth of 18 m in the world's largest mangrove habitat, Sundarban, with a soft sandy bottom. Because the species N. blochii was previously recorded for the first time in the water area of Bangladesh, the single captured species above was considered as the 'second record.' There are several potential factors responsible for the introduction of this species in the Bay of the Bengal coast, one being the similar habitat conditions available to them. Because this species was previously reported from the water area of Bangladesh and is still appearing now, there is a possibility that it may become established in the water area of Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the floristic explorations in Sundarbans mangrove forest of Bangladesh, conducted in 2016-2019, the authors collect some specimens of Angiosperms that are finally identified as Cleisostoma simondii (Gagnep.) Seidenf. of Orchidaceae and Volkameria heterophylla Vent. of Lamiaceae. Specimens of C. simondii are further identified as C. simondii var. guandongense Z.H. Tsi. The authors collect some specimens of another angiospermic plant in 2019 from Gazipur district of Bangladesh and confirm their identification as Leucas martinicensis (Jacq.) R. Br. of family Lamiaceae. All of these taxa are recorded here for the first time from Bangladesh. Detailed taxonomic description with notes on ecology, uses, distribution and distinctness from morphologically similar taxa, photographs and illustration are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three species viz., Cayratia maritima Jackes of family Vitaceae Juss., Leptadenia reticulata (Retz.) Wight & Arn. of Apocynaceae Juss. and Oberonia disticha (Lam.) Schltr. of Orchidaceae Juss. have been reported here for the first time from Sundarban Mangrove Forest of Bangladesh. The genus Leptadenia R.Br. is a new addition to the Angiosperms of Bangladesh. Taxonomic description, photographs and illustrations of these species have been provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study revealed the occurrence of 528 species of vascular plants belonging to 356 genera and 111 families in the Sundarban Mangrove Forest of Bangladesh. Among these species, 24 were pteridophytes and the rest were angiosperms, of which only 24 were true mangroves and 70 were mangrove associates. Magnoliopsida and Liliopsida were represented by 373 and 131 species, respectively. These species belonged to 345 herbs, 89 shrubs and 94 trees. Sixty-four species were climbers, 14 were epiphytes, 6 were parasites, and 7 were palms. The species number per family varied from 1 to 42. In pteridophytes, Pteridaceae with 4 genera and 5 species was the largest family. In angiosperms, Fabaceae with 24 genera and 42 species and Poaceae with 27 genera and 42 species were the largest families, respectively, in Magnoliopsida and Liliopsida. Most of the species included in this checklist were found in oligohaline zone, Sarankhola range and the forest margins, and recognized as economically important. Eleven species categorized as threatened in Bangladesh were found to occur in this mangrove forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a great concern that Bangladesh despite been as a resourceful country is finding itself in difficulty to be established in tourism arena. The reasons are numerous. Thus an authentic scrutinize is needed. That is why this paper comes into live. The whole southern side of Bangladesh has extensive potentiality in promoting tourism. But no real impact is yet to make by using it into the economy. Although initiatives been taken previously, but results are not satisfying at all. The success in the Cox's bazaar district can easily make us realize how potentiality is left untouched in the similar other regions. Bangladesh has the wonder of nature Sundarban, the largest mangrove forest in the world situated at the south-eastern region. It covers at least five districts. Bangladesh got the place kuakata, a place in Patuakhali district, where both sun rise and sunset can be seen from a single place from the sea beach. Bangladesh also has beautiful hilly areas like Bandar ban, Rangamati and, Khagrachari. On the other hand districts like Bagerhat, Jhalokathi, Barishal and Bhola can provide few world heritage sites as well. These enormous natural beauty needs to be endorsed to the tourists. Tourists must be provided with all the facilities that are demanded. The more amenities Bangladesh can provide the more tourists will visit. It's the Asia which will rule the next tourism sector and Bangladesh need to grab the opportunity. Our research has focused in these points and has found few ideas which can assist the tourism sector of Bangladesh in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work is the first attempt to compare the data of a comprehensive study of the origin and distribution of 16 priority pollutant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface sediments (<63 μm) from 18 sampling stations, 9 from Sundarban of Bangladesh and 9 from Indian counterpart. Σ19PAHs concentration in sediments showed wide variations from 208.3 to 12,993.1 ng g dry weight in Indian Sundarban, whereas 208.4 to 4,687.9 ng g in the case of Bangladesh. Fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(a)pyrene and dibenzo(a,h)anthracene were predominant species for both the countries. The PAH diagnostic ratios indicated that the PAHs in sediments from both the countries were of mixed source of hydrocarbons of both petrogenic and pyrolytic origin. According to the numerical effect-based sediment quality guidelines, the levels of PAHs in the Sundarban wetland of Bangladesh and India should not exert adverse biological effects. The TEQ values calculated for samples from the Bangladesh and Indian Sundarban varied from 13.68 to 1,014.75 and 1.31 to 2,451 ng g d.w. with an average of 221.02 and 358.63 ng g, respectively. The overall contamination status of PAH was higher in India than Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sundarban is the largest mangrove ecosystem, which is presently vulnerable to climate change related impacts. The western part of it falls in the state of West Bengal between the estuaries of the Hooghly and Ichamati-Raymongal Rivers. The diversity of the genus Ceratium Schrank and the related physicochemical parameters such as Sea Surface Temperature (SST) was studied in the Hooghly-Matla estuary and offshore. Five species of bio-indicator dinoflagellate, Ceratium were identified in the bloom-forming season. The species are: C. furca, C. fusus, C. symmetricum, C. trichoceros and C. tripos. C. symmetricum was not previously reported from the Indian part of the Sundarban and is now found in low abundance. The other four species are less sensitive to warming or rise in SST. A comparative study of the day time SST from the satellite images of the year 2003 to 2009 of the months of January and February reveals a rising winter SST. Compared to the previous years, the increase in temperature can be one of the causative factors to explain the lower abundance of C. symmetricum compared to the others. With further rise of the SST, there is a possibility that this species may no longer be found in abundance in the western part of adjoining Hooghly-Matla estuarine system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The study evaluated the economic, ecological and socio-cultural achievements of improved earthen stoves that were provided to the beneficiaries under a project to improve decreasing biomass energy utilization. A questionnaire was developed and a random sampling method was employed for selecting the samples from the population. The region has undergone a significant change with the development of shrimp aquaculture in brackish water on former paddy field. As a result the households have become dependent on the wood resources of the Sundarban (77% as their first choice of daily fuel). The fuel collection rate from the Sundarban has increased by 30% since the change to aquaculture, while the use of agricultural residues has declined by a similar amount. The introduction of the improved stove with two cook stations and a chimney resulted in a reduction of fuel use (as wood) to 540g caput−1 d−1, from the previous usage of 810g caput−1 d−1 using the traditional stove. Households saved 1.5 kg d−1 of fuel (one third), and reduced the cooking time by 45 min d−1 (about 20%). While 85% of men and 65% of women were the major fuel collectors, the improved stove resulted in a small increase (14 taka) in the women’s contribution to family income as well as a monthly saving on fuel cost of 45 taka. Respondents utilized saved time and money for household means and other economic activities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Morphological and stratigraphical observational facts in the Sundarban delta provide data for a novel sea level reconstruction of the area. This sea level documentation lacks traces of a global sea level rise. This implies totally new perspectives for the future of Bangladesh. No longer are there any reasons to fear an extensive sea level inundation in the near future. Sea level estimates based on linear trend analyses of tide gauge data should be avoided and seem often to be directly misleading, as was the case with previous, divergent, claims of a strong global sea level rise component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants is an integral part of the primary health care (PHC) system in almost every society. For more than two centuries, Munda, a small ethnic group in Bangladesh, has lived around the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest. This mangrove is rich in biodiversity but is threatened by global climate change. Information on the therapeutic use of plants by Munda ethnic minorities remains completely unknown. Therefore, it needs urgent documentation. The purpose of the study is (1) to search and compile data on the diversity of medicinal plants used by the Munda people for PHC needs, and (2) Quantitative analysis of these data to identify important medicinal plants and diseases related to treatment by this species. We conducted repeated field surveys and interviews among 79 Munda informants to collect ethnobotanical data. Informants were selected through random sampling techniques and interviewed using an open and semi-structured questionnaire. We reported the primary (absolute) data as use reports (URs) with frequency citation (FC). The International Classification of Primary Care-2 (ICPC-2) was followed to categorize the therapeutic use of medicinal plants, and quantitative analysis was performed using the FC and informant consensus factor (ICF). The present study explored and compiled a total of 3199 medicinal URs for 98 medicinal plant species to treat 132 ailment conditions under sixteen (16) ICPC-2 pathological groups. The highest URs (948) were noted for the digestive (D) group treated by 69 plant species, where the highest ICF value was measured for the social problem (Z) disease category (ICF: 1.00). Of the recorded medicinal plants, 17 were identified as true Mangrove (MNG), 24 as Mangrove Associates (MNA), and 57 as Non-Mangrove (NMG) species. Fabaceae (13 species) represented the leading family, followed by Lamiaceae and Compositae (5 species). Herbs (43%) have shown dominant life forms, and the leaves (41%) were frequently used plant parts. The most commonly cited preparation method was juice (24%), and the prevalent mode of administration was oral (62%). Azadirachta indica A. Juss. was the most widely used therapeutic plant species based on FC (39) values. The comparative literature review study reveals that the practices of 15 plants and their ethnomedicinal use by the Munda people are still entirely unexplored and newly reported in Bangladesh. Additionally, therapeutic use of 2 species, Brownlowia tersa (L.) Kosterm., and Dalbergia candenatensis (Dennst.) Prain has not been previously reported worldwide. In addition, 51 plant species (52%) of the total plants studied enlisted on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. To our knowledge, this is the first ethnobotanical study on the Munda ethnic group in Bangladesh. This study indicates that Munda people still rely on medicinal plants for PHC and have a rich and varied traditional knowledge about the therapeutic use of plants. This study also warns of the high risk of the current availability status of plants in the study area. Therefore, this study calls for urgent steps to protect and conserve high-risk plants that can be done by taking both in-situ and ex-situ measures. In addition, further phytochemical and pharmacological investigations of the important medicinal plants cited in the study have been suggested. [Display omitted] • Medicinal uses of the 98 medicinal plants, 15 are newly recorded, and 51 are listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. • This study reports the medicinal uses of 17 mangrove species, 24 mangrove associates and, 57 non-mangrove species. • Quantitative analysis revealed that digestive disorders were the most cited ailments according to the highest URs treated by 69 plant species. • Azadirachta indica A. Juss. was the most widely used therapeutic plant species based on the highest FC values. • High-risk plants need immediate conservation steps that can be done by taking both in-situ and ex-situ measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the damage caused by Amphan, a category five tropical cyclonic storm, to the ecology and shoreline of the Sundarban mangrove ecosystem, located in India and Bangladesh. In this study, net shoreline movement (NSM) combined with vegetation indices, such as normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI), were used to analyze land use and land cover changes and the position of the shoreline in pre- and post-cyclone periods. The results show that the cyclone wreaked havoc in the Sundarban mangrove ecosystem, causing dangerous impacts on vegetation and severe erosion along the shoreline. The impact on the Sundarban mangrove forest, shown by NDVI and EVI values, indicates that the mangrove vegetation suffered degradation and fragmentation. Dense and moderately dense mangrove tree cover area shrank from 77% to 34%, less dense and sparse cover increased from 20% to 63%. More than 68% of shoreline transects registered signs of erosion, with mean shoreline change and erosion rate measurements of −31 m and −48 m, respectively. As a result, agricultural lands and aquaculture ponds suffered inundation, leading to crop damage. A single cyclone episode can damage mangrove cover by knocking down tall trees, killing more salt-sensitive mangrove species such as Sundari, and leads to increased man-animal encounter. We argue that post-cyclone biodiversity loss and ecosystem services loss should be analyzed in tandem and synchrony with human and livestock casualty and economic damage assessment. [Display omitted] • Report about the damage of super cyclone 'Amphan' on Sundarban mangrove ecosystem. • The geospatial technology and statistical change measurement techniques were used. • The results highlighted the impacts on vegetation and erosion along the shoreline. • NDVI and EVI values revealed that the vegetation suffered substantial fragmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]