An Introduction to the Ponds of Indian Sundarbans—An Essential Socio-Ecological System

Abstract

Ponds are small lentic bodies that are abundant throughout the world. In the rural setup of many Asian countries, especially in the deltaic regions (where adjacent waters are mostly saline), ponds serve as an essential source of fresh water. The Sundarbans is renowned for being the largest mangrove forest on Earth. India and Bangladesh share this unique ecoregion. The Indian part shelters a thickly populated marginalized section of people, who exclusively rely on this forest to meet their livelihood demands. The mangroves and other land use classes of the Indian Sundarbans have received ample attention in the past. However, the millions of ponds in this setup did not receive the adequate scientific focus, which it deserves. The present book is perhaps the first attempt to furnish a holistic overview of the biogeochemical status and socio-economic importance of these ponds. Given proper management, these ponds can play a crucial role in provisioning food resources for the local inhabitants, and thus, can serve to achieve a few of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 2—Zero hunger; SDG 6—Clean water and sanitation). At present, these ponds remain neglected with no proper attempt of nurturing the potential ecosystem services that these aquatic ecosystems can offer. This chapter detailed the nitty–gritty of the ponds of Indian Sundarbans from all possible viewpoints and provides a foundation for the entire book.