Dwelling near the erosion-prone riverbank of the mighty River Pasur, 43-year-old Shumi Mondol understands the importance of a mangrove barrier.
Beside her cottage at Laodob in the Dacope subdistrict of Khulna, only 4.75 km (2.9 miles) north of the Sundarbans–the largest mangrove forest in the world, there was a mangrove belt along the Pasur. Between 2017 and 2022, the government implemented a renovation of a 50km (31.06 miles)-embankment to protect Laodob and Banishanta villages from flooding.
The renovation work, however, razed the mangroves in many places, replacing them with exotic acacia trees. Even after being renovated, the embankment was breached in several parts with no mangrove barriers, as assessed by local people.
Shumi tells Mongabay, “The trees [that existed before 2017] prevented turbulent tides and river erosion. Moreover, they were the raw material sources for our mangrove products.”
To resist riverbank erosion, some non-government organizations (NGOs) and local communities have been implementing mangrove restoration and conservation programs in Khulna and Satkhira districts.
The programs also facilitate alternative livelihoods and entrepreneurship development, particularly for women. The women run profitable mangrove nurseries and cooperatives to promote production and marketing of some value-added mangrove products such as Golpata (Nypa palm) molasses, Keora (Sonneratia caseolaris) pickles, and Hargoja (Acanthus) tea.
Supported by a regional NGO, Bangladesh Environment and Development Society (BEDS), Shumi and several other women created a 2-hectare (4.95 acres) mangrove restoration site five years ago.
They planted Garan (Ceriops tagal), Kankra(Bruguiera gymnorhiza), Golpata (Nypa fruticans), Keora (Sonneratia apetala), Baine(Avicennia officinalis), Sundri (Heritiera fomes), Hargoja (Acanthus ilicifolius) and other mangrove trees.
Fortunately, the planted site was spared from razing. Shumi currently leads a 20-member all-women team to protect the site from cattle grazing and human intervention. If they spot a dead plant there, the gap is filled with a new sapling.
To restore mangroves on the riverbanks impacted by the embankment renovation, BEDS organized more women and planted 20,000 mangrove saplings there in 2022.
BEDS Chief Executive Maksudur Rahman shares his thoughts with Mongabay, saying that proper selection of plantation sites and mangrove species, and their conservation with the active involvement of the local community can minimize the frequency of erosion.
“Women in the Sundarbans-neighboring localities were mostly unemployed. By involving many of them in mangrove restoration as an alternative livelihood, we have ensured community engagement,” Maksudur says.
The Forest Department of Bangladesh has implemented a mangrove restoration project on 2.02 hectares (5 acres) of land at Sheikh Russel Eco Park in Batiaghata, Khulna. So far, the reforestation has involved planting 4,000 mangrove saplings, setting a precedent for similar efforts in Khulna, Bagerhat, and Satkhira districts.
Following the project, the department has taken a major initiative to restore mangrove forests along the banks of 52 rivers and canals near the Sundarbans.
Mangrove restoration creates entrepreneurs
In 2008, the Bangladesh Resource Center for Indigenous Knowledge (BARCIK), a non-profit organization, pioneered community-engaged mangrove restoration.
So far, BARCIK has brought parts of coastal villages including Koikhali, Burigoalini, Munsiganj, Gabura, Padmapukur, and Atulia of Satkhira’s Shyamnagar subdistrict to mangrove restoration.
Under the BARCIK program, women collect mangrove seeds floated upriver and preserve them for germination. In the next stage, they, along with male members of their family, sow the germinated seeds in the selected and fenced muddy berms of embankments along the Kholpetua, Chuna, and Malancha rivers.
“So far, we have planted mangroves on around 1800 hectares (4,446 acres) of land, involving more than 400 women,” BARCIK’s Satkhira district coordinator Ram Krishna Joarder, says.
Teamed up, the women monitor the growth of the naturally grown saplings and take care of them till their maturity for flowering. From the mature trees, they harvest Keora fruits and Golpata sap to produce pickles and molasses, respectively, for sale.
One of the entrepreneurs of this business, 42-year-old Shefali Begum from Burigoalini village, says that mangrove restoration helps her ensure economic solvency in a challenging time.
“Although the production of pickles and molasses is seasonal, I can earn Tk 6,000 ($52) monthly on average, which is a crucial backup when my husband and sons cannot earn from fishing in the Sundarbans (due to seasonal fishing bans),” Shefali says.
Once a poor housewife, Shefali now leads a 40-member cooperative society.
Transforming forest resources into value-added products
Like other housewives, Dacope’s Dhangmari village resident, Namita Mondol, used to burn mangrove seeds as fuel for cooking. In 2019, while attending a campaign for BEDS’s mangrove restoration and conservation program, Namita got an idea of entrepreneurship.
Instead of burning the mangrove seeds, she preserved them and raised a small nursery in her courtyard on the bank of the intertidal Pasur. Neighbors laughed at her work, predicting none would buy mangrove saplings.
“To their surprise, I sold saplings worth Tk 50,000 ($426) the next year,” Namita recollects.
Her nursery has expanded to 1 bigha (0.33 acre) of land. Five permanent and 15 part-time women workers work in the nursery.
In 2023, she sold saplings worth around Tk4 lakh ($3,407) to some clients, including Bangladesh’s Forest Department, international NGO Brac, and BEDS.
Sourcing saplings from entrepreneurs like Namita, BEDS has so far planted around 1 million mangrove trees in 146.55 hectares (361.97 acres) of riverbanks at Gabura, Kolakati, Chunkuri of Shyamnagar and Banishanta and Laodob of Dacope.
Women are at the forefront of mangrove restoration. They have developed two cooperative societies for production, processing, packaging, and creating supply chains for product marketing.
BEDS’ field coordinator, Sheikh Faisal Ahmed, briefs on their work. From November to February, cooperative members prepare molasses by boiling Golpata (Nypa palm) sap they collect from the mangrove restoration sites. In parallel, some of them weave mats with harvested Golpata leaves.
During August-October—the Keora fruit harvesting period—the women make Keora (Sonneratia caseolaris) pickles. As Hargoja (Acanthus ilicifolius) leaves are available around the year, they process dried leaves, grind them, and pack the powder in tea sachets.
“We prepare the food items at BEDS’ Banishanta campus so that taste and quality don’t vary,” says Kamala Biswash, a member of one cooperative society.
With the brand name Banajibi, some 315 members sell the food products at 30 selling points, including the Forest Department’s three souvenir shops in the Sundarbans.
Kamala adds, “We purchase the raw materials directly from the mangrove restoration site protectors. Meanwhile, women involved in processing and packaging products receive payment per work. The rest of our profit is added to the cooperative capital.”
Mangroves for protecting lands and livelihoods
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, more than half of the world’s mangrove ecosystems are at risk of collapse.
Deforestation, development, pollution, and dam construction are the major threats to the mangrove ecosystems. However, the ecosystems are becoming more vulnerable due to sea-level rise, erosion, and the increased frequency of severe storms associated with climate change.
A study analyzing land cover changes between 1980 and 2014 finds that the size of the Sundarbans is declining at a frightening rate compared to its adjacent east coast.
Mangrove restoration is crucial because mangroves serve as frontiers of defence against flooding and erosion. According to a study, the aerial roots of a mangrove forest retain sediments, stabilizing the soil in intertidal areas and reducing erosion.
Besides providing geographical stability, restored mangroves help regain biodiversity as well as support the livelihoods and well-being of coastal inhabitants, as the Mangrove Alliance highlights.
However, sharing the responsibilities of mangrove restoration and conservation with the local communities triggers a sense of ownership among the mangrove-dependent people.
A study in Sri Lanka shows community participation has a significant and positive effect on mangrove performance.
Being a woman from a remote village, Shumi Mondol has a few ideas about global perception. But she believes that the existence of the mangroves, which her team is guarding now, is important.
“Protecting the trees is our responsibility. Our livelihood depends on their survivability,” Shumi concludes.
Cover photo: Shumi Mondol (right) and Anamika Mondol (left) are among several women in Loudob, Khulna, who have created a 2-hectare (4.95 acres) mangrove restoration site along the Pashur River. Image by Sadiqur Rahman.
Mongabay published the original story. Link: https://news.mongabay.com/2024/08/in-the-sundarbans-women-are-embracing-mangrove-restoration-as-an-alternative-livelihood/
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