Storm protection service of the Sundarbans mangrove forest, Bangladesh

Storm protection service of mangrove is often undervalued. This paper empirically assessed the damage avoided by the Sundarbans mangrove forest in 15 villages of southwest coastal Bangladesh, considering the super cyclone Sidr as reference point. The extent of damage of the cyclone was estimated for three situations: (1) villages protected by mangrove and within a polder, (2) villages not protected by mangrove but within a polder, and (3) villages not protected by mangrove and not within a polder. A questionnaire survey was conducted on 300 households selected from these villages by stratified random sampling. Significant differences in all the considered damage assessment attributes were obtained comparing the villages protected by mangrove with those not protected by mangrove. Quantifiable monetary loss associated with the cyclone was TK 69,726 (US$ 1025) per household in the villages sheltered by mangrove, which was about half compared to the villages not in the shadow of mangrove. Loss incurred per household was highest in villages that are not protected by mangrove and polder. Although local people highly valued the storm protection service of the Sundarbans mangrove forest, it is necessary to be emphasized in the disaster management policy of Bangladesh.