In the shadow of the Sundarbans, women plant a forest for the future

In a remote Sundarbans village, women are growing mangrove seedlings on river chars, protecting fragile coastlines while creating livelihoods and strengthening community resilience against climate change and rising tidal threats.

In the remote village of Tepakhali in Koira upazila of Khulna, life is deeply intertwined with the forest. For generations, villagers living on the edge of the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, have depended on it for survival. Many fish in nearby rivers, catch crabs in the tidal creeks or venture into the forest during the honey collecting season.

Beside the village flows the Shakbaria River. Across the river lies the dense green wilderness of the Sundarbans. Walking along the embankment one recent Sunday morning, an unusual sight appears on a sandy river island locally known as a char. Rows of small mangrove saplings stand neatly planted along the edge of the riverbank.

In these salty tidal lands, usually only wild mangrove trees grow naturally. Seeing an organized plantation effort here is rare.

Curiosity draws visitors closer. A section of the char is fenced with bamboo poles and netting. Inside are rows of soil filled polythene bags holding young mangrove plants, forming a small riverside nursery. As the tide slowly rises in the Shakbaria River, the water begins creeping toward the base of the seedlings.

Inside the fenced area, a woman carefully tends the plants.

Her name is Basanti Munda.

“Yes, we planted them,” she says with a shy smile. “Several women from the village did it together.”

Basanti explains that the nursery currently grows four species of mangrove trees common in the Sundarbans. These include Keora, Khalisha, Kankra and Bain. They had hoped to produce seedlings of Golpata, a mangrove palm widely used for roofing in coastal areas, but could not find seeds. However, she says they plan to collect the fruits soon and try again.

Several other local women, including Monika, Rita and Kamala Mondal, are part of the initiative. When they first began planting the seedlings, many villagers were skeptical.

“People doubted whether the seedlings would grow like this,” Basanti recalls. “But we often see mangrove seeds floating down the river and sprouting naturally on the char. That gave us the courage to try.”

The women follow a simple but careful process. They first fence the area with bamboo and nets to protect the seedlings from goats and other animals. Then the land is divided into small plots and 20 to 25 soil filled polythene bags are placed in each row. Mangrove fruits floating downriver from the forest are collected and planted in the bags where they gradually germinate and grow into young saplings.

The initiative began after Basanti and other women met workers from the non governmental organization Center for Natural Resource Studies while collecting crabs in the forest. The organization proposed that a group of local women could produce mangrove seedlings on nearby river islands.

Under the arrangement, the organization provides basic materials for the nursery and buys the seedlings once they mature, paying about 10 taka for each plant.

According to Md. Nuruzzaman, the Koira upazila officer of CNRS, the project aims to restore mangrove vegetation along vulnerable riverbanks.

“A large number of mangrove saplings are needed for riverbank afforestation,” he says. “Commercial nurseries usually do not produce these mangrove species. That is why we involved local women in collecting the fruits and growing the seedlings themselves.”

Many mangrove fruits drifting from the forest are usually dried and used as fuel by villagers while newly sprouting seedlings are often eaten by livestock. Protecting and planting mangroves along riverbanks has therefore become increasingly important.

The project plans to carry out mangrove afforestation on around 74 hectares of land along the Kopotakkho and Shakbaria rivers in Koira upazila while creating income opportunities for local women.

Mangrove forests play a crucial role in coastal protection. They act as natural barriers against cyclones, tidal surges and coastal erosion, threats that are becoming more severe due to climate change in the Bay of Bengal region.

For Basanti, however, the nursery represents both environmental protection and a chance to support her family.

Her husband, Dipankar Munda, works at a brick kiln outside the area. Basanti lives with their three year old daughter Tanushree in a small hut beside the river. Alongside tending the nursery, she sometimes ventures into the Sundarbans to catch crabs or works as a day laborer when work is available.

But women workers often face wage discrimination.

“Men earn about 400 taka for a half day’s work,” Basanti says. “We do the same work but receive only 300.”

On days when no work is available, she returns to the forest to catch crabs.

“Before, we were afraid of tigers,” she says quietly. “Now we are more afraid of pirates in the forest.”

Environmental advocates say initiatives like this highlight the important role women can play in protecting coastal ecosystems.

Sohanur Rahman, Executive Coordinator of YouthNet Global, said empowering women in mangrove restoration not only strengthens environmental protection but also advances gender equality in climate action.

“Women in coastal communities are often at the frontline of climate impacts yet they remain under recognized in environmental decision making,” he said. “When women lead mangrove restoration and conservation efforts it creates a powerful combination of ecosystem protection, livelihood support and gender empowerment. Community led mangrove initiatives like this are essential for building climate resilience in coastal Bangladesh.”

As Basanti speaks, her little daughter Tanushree walks over, curious about the conversation and eager to have her photo taken. When she sees the pictures on a mobile phone screen, her face lights up with excitement and her mother smiles.

Meanwhile the tide in the Shakbaria River continues to rise. Water slowly reaches the base of the young seedlings and soon they begin to disappear beneath the tidal flow.

The fragile plants bend gently with the water.

But Basanti Munda believes they will survive, just as her community has for generations beside the Sundarbans.