Project Period: 1st Jan 2011- Perpetual

Project Location: Sundarban, Khulna

BUSY BEE NOW:

Background

The Sundarbans is the World’s largest continuous mangrove area, covering some 10,000 km of land and water within the Ganges Delta, with some 62 percent located in Bangladesh and the remainder in the Indian state of West Bengal. The Sundarbans has a population of over 4 million, but a large part of the area is free of permanent human habitation. Various non-timber forest products and plantations help generate considerable employment and income generation opportunities for at least half a million poor coastal populations.

A huge number of people living within or near the Sundarbans mostly depend on its resources to satisfy many of their basic needs, such as food, fuel, materials for construction of houses, boats, furniture and fishing implements, medicinal herbs and many other items for trade and commerce. Some people, however, extract resources beyond their needs. Due to misuse and mistrading the natural resources are decreasing. There is a clear scope of gentle regulation, in the interest of the very people who depend on the resources.

 

Problems Identified:

Mangrove forests are playing a vital role for the socioeconomic development of this area. People are living around the mangrove vegetation area depend on it for their means of living. The communities of mangrove forested area are gaining economic benefit from the forest. Mangrove also provides environmental supports for the community. But a few problems arise due to the way of extracting and responses to the forest:

 

– Honey hunters are one of the most vulnerable communities in Sundarbans. The traditional honey hunting techniques may not be the best practice which could ensure sustainable harvest, conservation of nature and maintenance of the bee population.

 

– This is a high-risk, life-challenging occupation as many honey hunters are maimed or lose their lives due to tiger attacks, common in this area.

 

– Even the way they selling their collected honey is not the right way of marketing and it’s abstained them from their deserving values.

 

– There are venomous snakes inside the forests but there is no opportunity to get anti venom treatments and emergency health care supports.

 

– There is no research center to understand the biodiversity and the livelihood pattern of the community through participatory research and observation.

 

– Since the diversion of Ganges water at Farakka Barrage in India from early 1975, salinity level has increased drastically in the south-western part of Bangladesh. The Ganges flow has reduced and the reduction in flow rate has resulted in increase of high saline sea water in the upstream areas. For such diversion of upstream waters resulted greater salinity downstream for Bangladesh especially in the Sundarbans region.

Mission

To establish a platform from where initiatives will be taken to launch different programs to protect the Sundarbans forest area and the conservation of Sundarbans biodiversity. It will also play the vital role for community engagement and training programs for developing environmentally income alternatives for the community people and to improve their living standard.

About US

We are working in Sundarbans for last two years. “Survival of Sundarbans” is a platform initiated by the EARTH. The focus of this project is to support all the stakeholders and resources to ensure a sustainable Sundarban. And we are dedicated to act for the conservation of Sundarbans in various ways with sustainable future growth. We are hopeful that this project will be very effective for Sundarban and its community.

Programs

  1. Training on proper honey collection and a proper business model.
  2. International Research Centre.
  3. Emergency health care unit.
  4. Development project in Water resource (rain water harvesting)
  5. Frog Harvesting

Supporting Tourism and Agriculture Projects

  1. Eco- Tourism Development involving local community
  2. Community Tourism
  3. Eco Resort development as the back end support to all the projects
  4. Crab and Shrimp cultivation
  5. Turtle Firm
  6. Deer Firm

 

Expected Outcomes:

Outcome 1:

  1. Develop an expert and aware Local community, especially, to ensure the sustainability of honey production in the jungle and promote Sundarban honey with the proper business model. This involves:
  2. Creating excellent facilities for the research group and establishment of a specimen and information hub.
  3. Ensure the availability of emergency health care with the support system against poisonous snake and tiger attack (Currently there is no medical support around even anti venom medicine is not available there).
  4. Ensure fresh drinkable water for the community living in Sundarban and its coastal area.

Who else will be important in effecting this outcome:

  • Local government, local Community, different workman and the resources of sundarban
  • Doctors, trainers and experts on nature and environment.
  • Agencies that working for the conservation of nature and the environment.
  • Sundarban Authority and Law enforcement agencies.
  • Communication System.