Abstract
Climate change poses a critical threat to forest ecosystems, biodiversity, and human livelihoods, particularly in climate-vulnerable regions such as coastal Bangladesh. Spanning approximately 710 km and twelve districts, this deltaic region faces the compounded impacts of sea-level rise, salinity intrusion, cyclones, and coastal erosion—factors that collectively degrade coastal forests and jeopardize the communities that depend on them. These forests, forming Bangladesh’s coastal greenbelt, provide vital ecosystem services including coastal protection, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity support. However, escalating climatic stressors and unsustainable human activities are driving habitat loss, reduced forest resilience, and declining ecosystem services. This research assesses the impacts of climate change on forest biodiversity within Bangladesh’s coastal greenbelt and to develop evidence-based strategies for conservation and sustainable livelihoods. An integrated approach combining geospatial, ecological, and socio-economic methods is applied. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) technologies—using Sentinel-2, Landsat OLI/ETM+, Maxar, and drone-based data—are employed to analyze spatio-temporal changes in forest cover, vegetation health, and habitat fragmentation. These analyses are complemented by field-based socio-economic surveys, focus group discussions, and participatory rural appraisals to capture community perspectives on resource use and adaptation. The study identifies priority areas for restoration, proposes adaptive forest management strategies, and recommends livelihood diversification measures to enhance community resilience. By integrating technological innovation with participatory research, the study contributes to climate-resilient forest management and offers transferable insights for other tropical coastal regions facing similar challenges.
Presenters
Muhammod Nazrul IslamProfessor (Geography and Environment) and Director (Institute of Remote Sensing and GIS), Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka zila, Bangladesh
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Assessing Impacts in Diverse Ecosystems
KEYWORDS
CLIMATE CHANGE, COASTAL GREENBELT, FOREST BIODIVERSITY, SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS
