Sundarbans Flashcards
(20 cards)
Where are the Sundarbans
in southwest Bangladesh and east India, on the delta of three rivers on the bay of Bengal
What type of system is the sunderbands
dynamic equilibrium
How many people live in the sundarbands
4 million
What is the main crop grown
rice
What ecosystem does the mangrove forest provide
home to crabs, fish, honey and nipa palm leaves used for roofing
What services do the mangroves in the sunderbands provide
the mangrove forest provides natural defence against flooding by absorbing wave energy and absorbs extra water
also protects against coastal erosion
What opportunities fro development do the sundarbands provide
tourism
since 2011 cargo ships transporting goods such as oil and food inland have been allowed to use the waterways. Dredging has been done though
A powerplant has been proposed just north of the national park
What are the risks associated with the Sundarbans
lack of fresh water for drinking or irrigation due to fresh water being diverted further upstream for agriculture
mangrove forests being removed due to increased demand for agricultural land
flooding leading to salinisation
What proportion of households have access to electricity
1/5 of households
What are the attempts to increase the populations resilience
The public health engineering department is increasing water and sanitisation
better roads, however to do this deforestation occurs
solar panels are used to help increase access to electricity–>improving employment rates and access to flood warnings
farming subsidies to increase food production, however could cause environmental damage
NGO’s providing training for sustainable farming techniques
How have they mitigated the effects of hazards
3500 km of embankments were built to prevent flooding. However these are eroding away, around 800km is vulnerable to breaching
replanting mangroves, however difficult to prevent illegal forest clearance
NGOs and the government have set up shelters for cyclones however, many people do not have access to transport to enable them to evacuate
How have people adapted to climate change and sea level rise
salt-resistant varieties of rice are being grown, however relying on a smaller range of crops can reduce biodiversity and may increase vulnerability to pests and disease
lodges have been built and tour operators to increase tourism, however can cause environmental damage
building houses on stilts
non-intensive farming and promoting eco-tourism
How many government built shelters were there in 2011-15
100
750 more proposed in 2019
How much mangrove afforestation was promoted along the central region of bangladesh
148,000 hectares by the forest department
What did the coastal green belt policy do
planted vegetation along 9000km of rail, road and coastal embankments and islands
How much economic value does 1 hectare of mangrove forest provide
$12,000
How much does 30 trees per 0.01hec of mangrove forest reduce the destructive force of a tsunami
90%
tidal action in the Sundarbans
river channels flow across clay and silt deposits which are more resistant to erosion as they’re static
river channels are straight and flowing north-south due to strong tidal currents
khals (smaller channels) drain land with each ebb tide (seaward flow)
wave action in the Sundarbans
sediment washed out of delta and deposited on banks or chars (land created by deposition) at the river mouth
south westerly monsoon winds blow sand over sand dunes
finer silts deposited in bay where waves create and shape new islands
vegetation becomes more established, allowing natural succession of sand dunes to create dense mangrove forests
what percentage of people cant access education
44% can’t afford education
