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Environmental Jeopardy and Coping Strategies of the Small-Scale Fishers in the Bangladesh Sundarbans: The Precedent of the World’s Largest Mangrove
Summary
Researchers studied the environmental risks and coping strategies of small-scale fishers in six villages of the Bangladesh Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest. They found that fishers face escalating threats from climate change impacts, cyclones, and environmental pollution, but have developed various adaptive strategies. The study highlights the vulnerability of communities whose livelihoods depend directly on ecosystems increasingly affected by environmental degradation.
The Sundarbans Mangrove Forest (SMF) is the world's largest tidal halophytic mangrove forest block. This forest and the livelihoods it depends on are extremely susceptible to anticipated climate change. The lives and vulnerabilities of small-scale fisheries are still poorly known despite the Sundarbans being frequently used as a test case by scientists to examine climate variability and change. Based on research on six fishing villages in the Sundarbans, this study analyzed the environmental and livelihood risks of small-scale fisheries and how they responded to climate change-related events. A range of qualitative techniques, such as focus groups, oral histories, and interviews, were used to gather empirical data. The study found that environmental changes have a significant impact on how well-off the Sundarbans community is, having an impact on things, including housing, income, savings, literacy, health, agriculture, and daily living. The most at risk from these negative effects are residents of nearby areas. The study's conclusions, which were based on the perspectives of the fishers, are important for the co-management of mangroves, biodiversity preservation, planning, and the improvement of livelihoods
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