Appliance of Indigenous Knowlege in Mangrove Conservation and Sustaining Livelihood in Indian Sundarban Delta: A Geospatial Analysis

Abstract

The current study is designed to inspect the appliance of indigenous traditional knowledge (ITK) or traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) to conserve the mangrove forest coverage and sustain the livelihood of the Indian Sundarban Delta (ISD), a World Heritage Site and Ramsar Site. The mangrove forest is decreasing day by day and the future without mangroves would become extremely precarious for the study area and its surroundings. The total mangrove coverage of India is about 4921 km2 among which ISD covers about 2100 km2. About 38% of total mangroves belong to ISD, which is found maximal in South 24 Parganas district and a very little amount is associated with North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. In this physical milieu, about 4.4 million inhabitants are surviving in the biodiversity-rich area with a very high dependency on primary economic activities (>85%). The study explores the inhabited community in the ISD and the temperament of ITK that helps to protect and maintain the mangrove coverage of Sundarban Biosphere Reserve (SBR) as it supports various ecosystem services to them and protects them from natural hazards, like, cyclone, tsunamis, etc. The study also reveals how the adaptation, perception, and ITK make the inhabited community survive in diverse and distressing situations and can be applied to reducing the stress of mangroves, increasing their variety, and expanding the agricultural and fishing productivity for livelihood. Hence, an in-depth analysis of the diverse aspects of mangrove dynamics, cause-effect rapport through geospatial techniques, and to recognize the necessity and scope of application of ITK to protect mangroves have been designed. The study provides useful insights into the realities of ITK, people’s awareness, and community participation in mangrove conservation which could be incredibly constructive for policy framing as well as strengthening its management.