Applying the ecosystem approach to the Sundarbans of Bangladesh: Possibilities and challenges

• Author: Sheikh Noor Mohammad,Shawkat Alam
• Date: 01 July 2018
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/reel.12230
• Published date: 01 July 2018

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Applying the ecosystem approach to the Sundarbans of

Bangladesh: Possibilities and challenges

Shawkat Alam

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Sheikh Noor Mohammad

Correspondence

Email: shawkat.alam@mq.edu.au This article considers the relevance of the ecosystem approach as a suitable means

of providing for the conservation and sustainable development of the endangered

Sundarbans mangrove forests of Bangladesh. Commencing with the genesis of the

ecosystem approach in international law and its incorporation in the Convention on

Biological Diversity, the article considers its principles in the approach to the regula-

tion, monitoring and management of the Sundarbans. It demonstrates that there is

scope for key aspects of the ecosystem approach to be incorporated into the man-

agement regime for the Sundarbans. The accommodation of the interests of forest-

dependent communities and the focus on adaptive management are among the

aspects of the ecosystem approach that benefit sustainable management for the

region. However, successful incorporation of its principles will only be possible if

the relevant legislative framework is extensively amended, efforts are made to build

the awareness and capacity of forest users to manage the resources on which they

rely, and financial support is increased to facilitate the transition to an ecosystem

approach-based management of the Sundarbans.

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INTRODUCTION

The ecosystem approach i s a landmark strategy of the Conven-

tion on Biological Diver sity (CBD) and other biodi versity-related

conventions. It has evolv ed to encompass the multi dimensional

and integrated nature of sustainable developme nt principles and

has gradually become a part of inter national environmenta l law

practice as a consequence of t he consensus-based activi ty of the

CBD.

1

The concept of the ecosystem a pproach has also influ-

enced the development of inter national biodiversity la w. The

ecosystem approach provi des a policy framework for su ch diverse

areas as biodiversity, fi sheries, internation al water resources,

oceans, climate adaptati on and disaster managemen t, and has

subsequently emerged as a ‘new paradigm’in envi ronmental

management.

2

This article explores the genesis of the ecosystem approach and

investigates its relevance in relation to the Sundarbans of Bangla-

desh. The Sundarbans is one of the largest remaining areas of man-

groves in the world, which supports an exceptional biodiversity with

a wide array of flora and fauna, including the flagship species Bengal

tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), and it provides a significant example of

ongoing ecological processes in the form of monsoon rains, delta

formation, tidal influence and plant colonization. Due to its ‘out-

standing universal value’and rich biological diversity, the Sundarbans

was designated as a ‘Ramsar Site’under the Ramsar Convention in

1992,

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with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization (UNESCO) declaring three wildlife sanctuaries within

the Sundarbans as a World Heritage site in 1997.

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©2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA.

1

CM Finlayson et al, ‘The Ramsar Convention and Ecosystem-Based Approaches to the

Wise Use and Sustainable Development of Wetlands’(2011) 14 Journal of International

Wildlife Law and Policy 176.

2

V De Lucia, ‘Competing Narratives and Complex Genealogies: The Ecosystem Approach in

International Environmental Law’(2015) 27 Journal of Environmental Law 92.

3

The Sundarbans Reserved Forest of Bangladesh was designated for the Ramsar List (Ram-

sar Site No 560) by the Ramsar Convention Committee on 21 May 1992 <http://archive.ra

msar.org/cda/en/ramsar-pubs-notes-annotated-ramsar-16726/main/ramsar/1-30-168%

5E16726_4000_0__>.

4

The Sundarbans of Bangladesh was nominated as the 798th UNESCO World Heritage site

by the UNESCO-WHC in 1997. See ‘Report of the 21st Session of the World Heritage

Committee’WHC-97/CONF.208/17 (27 February 1998) <http://whc.unesco.org/archive/

1997/whc-97-conf208-17e.pdf>37.

DOI: 10.1111/reel.12230

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