Why the Sundarbans needs its mangroves

The Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world, spread across the delta shared by India and Bangladesh. For the villages on its islands, the forest is not scenery. It is infrastructure.

Living defences

Mangrove roots slow incoming water and trap sediment. Where a healthy belt of mangroves stands in front of an embankment, the embankment faces less of the tide's energy. Where the belt has gone, embankments erode and breach, and saltwater floods fields and freshwater ponds.

Restoration led by women

Planet Mama's mangrove programme involves women at every step, from seed collection and nurseries to planting and aftercare. Across four coastal states in India, the programme has reported more than 20,000 saplings planted. The next task is to show how many survive, and we will publish survival data as it becomes available.

Mangroves also store unusually large amounts of carbon in their soils. That opens a route to long-term climate finance for restoration, but only if it is done with the integrity that communities and buyers deserve.