Paradigm shift in the management of the Sundarbans mangrove forest of Bangladesh: Issues and challenges

The Sundarbans is the largest continuous mangrove forest of the world, which is rich in both the floral and faunal diversity compared to other mangrove forests of the World. It has long historical records of forest conversion and management. The objectives of this study were to synthesis the management interventions for the Sundarbans and to find out the issues and challenges that encountered the management objectives. The conversion, management, and conservation efforts for the Sundarbans during the last 240 years can be grouped into four distinct time periods based on the outlook of resources use e.g. conversion for agriculture 1780 to 1875; timber production for revenue and control for theft 1876 to 1951; inventory based management 1952 to 1992; integrated…