Sundarbans • Banking on mangroves for land, life and livelihood

The Sundarbans are archipelago of islands at the mouth of the Ganges, in eastern India and Bangladesh, and the world’s largest estuarine mangrove ecosystem. In the face of increasingly frequent and devastating flooding and storm surges, local communities in the state of West Bengal, in India, have taken the lead in afforesting embankments with mangroves, enabled by a local NGO, the Nature Environment and Wildlife Society (NEWS), channelling funding from the private sector and international non-profits. Along with its immense carbon sequestration potential, these mangroves are also home to the Bengal tiger, and species of rare snakes, fish, and crustaceans – all of which have benefitted from the afforestation programme.