Sundarbans Ecovillage for People-Nature-Climate

Amid cracked riverbanks and drying boats, a quiet crisis unfolds in the coastal village of Dhangmari East Khejuria of southern Bangladesh. These low-lying communities, home to forest-dependent people, traditional fishermen, are battling a harsh mix of environmental degradation, social vulnerability, and economic hardship. However, declining fish stocks, rising salinity, and unpredictable weather are making their survival uncertain. Most of the people are dependent on the Sundarbans Forest. People are collecting unlimited resources from the forest to mitigate their poverty. Women are collecting the mangrove seeds and after drying they are using it as a cooking fuel. Electricity is another very common problem in that area. Safe water is also an issue of the local community. Due to the lack of safe drinking water people always feel sick with waterborne diseases as they collect the water from unhygienic sources. Not only these people are also involving in illegal activities such as deer hunting, poison fishing etc.  The Sundarbans is under a great pressure due to the issues and activity of the people. They have lack of conservation knowledge of nature and environment.  With the increasing effects of climate change, including rising sea levels and more frequent cyclones, this region is becoming a frontline of environmental injustice. Every year the people of this island are facing a cyclone the vulnerability of the people is increasing day by day. The hosuing condtion is not good. Due to riverbank erosion they lost their houses, land every time. They are strugling to survive. If these situation will continue, one the village will be under the water.

BEDS, with its extensive experience in conservation and empowering marginalized, resource-poor communities in the Sundarbans, will lead an Ecovillage project. This project will benefit the target community by supporting the proposed community-led initiatives while ensuring the preservation of critical areas and sanctuaries in the Sundarbans, strengthening both the ecosystem and the community’s long-term resilience.

BEDS initiated a project at small scale with ecovillage concept supported by the Seacology. The project aims to directly benefit community members by promoting sustainable resource harvesting practices and ensuring proper adherence to conservation rules and regulations to safeguard the long-term future of the Sundarbans’ resources and biodiversity. It focuses on empowering the community by alleviating poverty through initiatives such as community-based homestead tourism, and alternative livelihoods like integrated farming and the production of mangrove-based products. Additionally, the project enhances conservation knowledge through awareness campaigns on mangrove and dolphin conservation, combating poison fishing, and preventing deer hunting and other wild animals, fostering behavioral changes while preserving indigenous knowledge and cultural practices. BEDS also want to support the local community by providing mangrove education to increase the conservation knowledge and distribute solar lamp, improved cooking stoves, improve their livelihood condition by making and selling mangrove based products with homestead vegetable farming. BEDS will also want to establish safe drinking plant in the village from where people can get the pure water. In future BEDS want to make this village as a ecovillage where every families will involve in ecofriendly practices.

We are requesting all our donors to start monthly recurring donation. Please click the following

https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/mangrove-plantation-for-coastal-protection/