On November 10, 2019, Cyclone Bulbul hit the coasts of Bangladesh and India, displacing more than 2 million people and killing 20. Our hearts are with everyone affected by this tragedy, including those in our global network of activists.
This huge cyclone devastated homes and communities across India and Bangladesh, forcing many to relocate. However, there is one small ray of light. The Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world, protected the coast and inland communities from some of the storm’s worst impacts.
A climate activist in the region stated:
“In Sundarbans, without the thick mangroves standing there, the devastation would have been many times over and also would have spread to the mainland much beyond the coastline. That stresses upon the urgent need to protect mangroves wherever they are standing in the world and to create them where they are not. Studies show that “mangroves cover only 0.5 per cent of global coastline, but are responsible for 10 to 15 per cent of coastal carbon sequestering.” Therefore, also in fighting the climate crisis, protecting and creating mangroves on coastlines should be a priority task.”
Mangroves play an essential role in protecting communities from the harmful effects of climate change, such as natural disasters exacerbated by increasing global temperatures, which threaten both the balanced ecosystem and traditional ways of life in coastal villages.
There’s no question: for local communities and livelihoods that are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, mangroves are absolutely critical. That’s why we at Global Greengrants Fund support community-led action to monitor and protect these precious ecosystems. Since 2012, we have awarded 9 grants to grassroots groups in the Sundarbans working to increase community participation in the management of mangrove forests.
Many of our grants have supported local people living inland of the Sundarbans who rely on agriculture as their livelihoods. Mangroves act as an essential barrier between saline water and freshwater ecosystems, safeguarding agriculture and subsistence livelihoods when natural disaster strikes.
At Global Greengrants Fund, we believe in the long-term solutions of local communities to develop resilience strategies in case of natural disasters, and to come back stronger than before.
Today we are thinking of those impacted by Cyclone Bulbul, and will continue to support those communities as they rebuild. Stand with us.