The Sundarbans: A Disaster-Prone Eco-Region

This book explores the Sundarbans eco-region from a trans-boundary perspective, examining the cross-country interaction that helps planners to develop more efficient coastal zone planning for the delta. The dynamic ecosystem of the Sundarbans is considered the largest coastal delta in the world. It is located in the Bay of Bengal and spans across Bangladesh and West Bengal (India).

Featuring chapters by experts from a range of fields, it addresses (i) risk factor analyses, and the geohydrological, climatic, natural, socio-economic, and anthropological factors related to the Sundarbans; (ii) strategies for sustainability in natural resource management in trans-boundary Sundarbans, cutting across political boundaries; (iii) improved agriculture, fisheries, and forestry practices and their impacts on the socio-economy for livelihood security; and (iv) a future road map for improvements.

• Sundarbans and environmental management
• Resource Management and Sundarbans
• Natural Hazards and Sundarbans
• Estuaries and Climate change
• Vulnerability and ecosystems
• dynamic ecosystems and agriculture
• coastal sciences
• climate change impacts
• natural resources and energy economics

• ICAR-Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibers (Formerly), Barrackpore, India

  H.S. Sen

Dr. H.S. Sen is the former Director of the Central Research Institute for Jute & Allied Fibres (CRIJAF – an Indian Council of Agricultural Research unit under the Ministry of Agriculture, Gol), located at Barrackpore, West Bengal. He started his research career after completing his MSc and PhD at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, in 1971, and retired from regular service in January 2008.

During his career, Dr. Sen was exclusively devoted to research, especially in the fields of water management and soil salinity related to coastal ecosystems from 1971-1976 and from 1982-2002 at the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Regional Station Canning Town, which is located in the heart of the Sundarbans. His research on water management and soil salinity aspects on coastal Sundarbans covered a large number of areas such as salt and water dynamics in soils, irrigation and drainage methods and applications, nutrient use efficiency under nitrogenous fertilizer employment, and crop management in stressed environments. Between 1976 and 1982, he was involved in research in the field of water management in rice-oriented cropping systems at the Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, Orissa. At CRIJAF, he was exclusively involved in research management and administration under the mandate “Productivity and Quality Improvement of Jute & Allied Fibers” with emphasis on ecology and the environment.Since retiring, Dr. Sen has devoted his time to planning for future research strategies and livelihood securities in the tidal-dominated lower Ganges delta covering India and Bangladesh. He has also authored a book on this topic and a book chapter on a similar topic. Recently, he has also authored several papers on the drying up of the Ganga and its consequences for the deteriorating ecology in the lower delta in India and Bangladesh. In addition, he has turned his attention to climate change and its impact on water management, along with suggestionsfor possible remedies to provide for sustained productivity, as well as the role of climate change on oceanic hazards damaging coastal ecosystems at a global scale. He has published over 165 research papers, and has been a post-graduate teacher at the University of Calcutta for 26 years. He also serves as a regular reviewer for leading journals. In 1999, Dr. Sen received a National Award on rainfed management in the Sundarbans.

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