Title: Managing the Sundarbans region: opportunities for mutual gain by India and Bangladesh

Authors: Leonard Ortolano; Ernesto Sánchez-Triana; Tapas Paul; Shakil Ahmed Ferdausi

Addresses: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Y2E2 Building, 473 Via Ortega, Room 249, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 94305-4020, USA ' Environment and Natural Resources Department – Global Practice, The World Bank, 1818 H Street, Washington, DC, 20433, USA ' Environment and Natural Resources Department – Global Practice, The World Bank, 70, Lodi Estate, New Delhi, 110003, India ' Environment and Natural Resources Department – Global Practice, The World Bank, E 32, Agargaon, She-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, 1207, Bangladesh

Abstract: The Sundarbans is managed separately by India and Bangladesh, but from ecological and socioeconomic perspectives the region is a single unit. Results from household surveys in each of the countries as well as the literature demonstrate the region's unity. Mutual advantages could flow from closer binational cooperation in managing the Sundarbans in several areas, such as disaster management systems, forest management to improve relationships with forest-dependent communities, and conservation of the Bengal tiger. Such collaboration has started, but government-to-government progress has been slow. Fruitful results have been obtained recently by civil society organisations with support from international aid organisations.

Keywords: South Asia; Bangladesh; India; Bengal; Sundarbans; household surveys; sea level rise; environmental management; disaster management; emergency management; forest management; international cooperation; mutual gain; conservation; Bengal tiger; collaboration.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESD.2016.073331

International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development, 2016 Vol.15 No.1, pp.16 - 31

Received: 08 Aug 2014
Accepted: 01 Feb 2015
Published online: 30 Nov 2015 *

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