Sundarbans Bangladesh: Locally led mangrove nursery brings ecological and economic benefits in a changing climate

This case study describes a community-led mangrove nursery initiative in the Sundarbans region of Bangladesh, implemented by the local NGO Bangladesh Environments and Development Society (BEDS). The project focuses on empowering women to transition from using mangrove seeds as cooking fuel to cultivating saplings for sale and ecological restoration, providing both economic stability and climate resilience.

• The Bangladesh Environments and Development Society (BEDS) transitioned local women from using mangrove seeds as cooking fuel to establishing community-based nurseries. BEDS provided technical training, tools such as bamboo and netting for fencing and shading, and installed water irrigation systems to support these nurseries.
• The initiative has generated significant economic benefits for participating women. In 2021, five women in Paschim Dhangmari collectively earned BDT 200,000 from selling saplings, with one individual, Nomita Mondol, earning BDT 60,000. Mondol reported producing 30,000 saplings in the following year to support her family's livelihood and children's education.
• BEDS expanded the program to multiple locations to meet high demand. This includes a nursery in Mathurapur village (Shyamnagar sub-district, Satkhira district) and a Central Mangrove Nursery in Amtola village (Dacope sub-district, Khulna district) capable of raising approximately 1,000,000 saplings at once. Currently, 20 families are supported through these nurseries, contributing to increased mangrove coverage in the region.
• The project emphasizes women's empowerment and local ownership, though it faces challenges from societal taboos and gender-based biases. To coordinate efforts and stabilize prices, BEDS created an association led by the women nursery owners.

APA

Rahman, S. (2023). Sundarbans Bangladesh: Locally led mangrove nursery brings ecological and economic benefits in a changing climate. Global Resilience Partnership. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/sundarbans-bangladesh-locally-led-mangrove-nursery-brings-ecological-and-economic-benefits-in-a-changing-climate/

Chicago

Rahman, Sohanur. Sundarbans Bangladesh: Locally led mangrove nursery brings ecological and economic benefits in a changing climate. Global Resilience Partnership, 2023. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/sundarbans-bangladesh-locally-led-mangrove-nursery-brings-ecological-and-economic-benefits-in-a-changing-climate/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rahman |first1=Sohanur |title=Sundarbans Bangladesh: Locally led mangrove nursery brings ecological and economic benefits in a changing climate |publisher=Global Resilience Partnership |date=9 January 2023 |url=https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/sundarbans-bangladesh-locally-led-mangrove-nursery-brings-ecological-and-economic-benefits-in-a-changing-climate/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rahman2023sundarbans, author = {Rahman, Sohanur}, title = {{Sundarbans Bangladesh: Locally led mangrove nursery brings ecological and economic benefits in a changing climate}}, institution = {Global Resilience Partnership}, year = {2023}, month = jan, url = {https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/sundarbans-bangladesh-locally-led-mangrove-nursery-brings-ecological-and-economic-benefits-in-a-changing-climate/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }