Solutions to blue carbon emissions: Shrimp cultivation, mangrove deforestation and climate change in coastal Bangladesh

Shrimp farming in Bangladesh has boosted the socio-economic culture of coastal communities across the nation, but at the cost of the integrity of mangrove ecosystems. Image: “Woman showing shrimps caught from her pond in Khulna, Bangladesh” by M. Yousuf Tushar, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Bangladesh is a world leader in aquaculture production, ranking sixth after China, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Due to the nation’s favourable physical characteristics, Bangladesh is highly suitable for coastal aquaculture, especially the tiger shrimp sector. Shrimp culture has diversified livelihood opportunities for coastal communities, as over two million people are involved in fish farming, market, processing, and exporting.

The shrimp sector in Bangladesh is a multimillion dollar industry, thus comprising a hugely significant component of the national economy. Although shrimp culture has inevitably boosted the national economy and opened up employment opportunities for coastal communities in Bangladesh, the commodity has devastating impacts on mangrove ecosystems.

A new article “Solutions to blue carbon emissions: Shrimp cultivation, mangrove deforestation and climate change in coastal Bangladesh” has been published in Marine Policy, and is co-authored by CORU Director William Cheung. This article aims to highlight key issues in reducing blue carbon (i.e., carbon in coastal and marine ecosystems) emissions from mangrove deforestation due to shrimp cultivation in coastal Bangladesh, discuss the conversion of mangrove forests into shrimp farms and the impacts of climate change on shrimp culture, mangrove fisheries, and coastal communities, and propose potential adaptation strategies.

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