Systematics of Modern Benthic Foraminiferal Assemblages From the Deltaic Mangrove Ecosystem of Sundarbans

The contemporary intertidal foraminifera and estuarine environment information were collected from the four sites adjoining the deltaic mangrove environment in the Sundarbans. The marsh zones of the south-western coastal region of Bangladesh were examined for modern benthic foraminifera and to expound on the relationship of the foraminiferal assemblages with the environment. Due to high inaccessibility and remoteness, the taxonomic study of foraminifera and its depositional environment remains largely overlooked in the Sundarbans of Bangladesh. This study includes a detailed survey of depositional environment of these fluvio-deltaic to shallow marine sediments. The seventeen species belonging to fourteen genera representing nine families were recorded from surficial sediment of supratidal, intertidal, and dune environment of Kotka, Jamtala, Kochikhali, and Dimer char area. In the present study, these foraminiferal assemblages are characterized calcareous and agglutinated foraminifera. The Kotka beach is recognized as Nonionina assemblage zone, Jamtala beach designated as Ammonia assemblage zone, Kochikhali as Nonionina assemblage zone and Dimer char as Rosalina-Nonionina-Nonionella assemblage zone. The deposition of foraminifera is restricted to Sundarbans’ low to high marsh zone. J. Asiat. Soc. Bangladesh, Sci. 47(2): 121-136, December 2021

Promoting Green Behavioral Intentions of the Tourists for the Growth of Sustainable Tourism Development in the Sundarbans of Bangladesh

The Sundarbans, the single largest mangrove forest of the world is one of the prime tourism destinations of Bangladesh. Due to lack of awareness and proper planning, tourism is causing severe threat to the ecosystem of the Sundarbans. It is therefore utmost important to ensure that the natural environment of the Sundarbans doesn't deteriorate further. Promoting green tourism may be a viable way to achieve it. This study was designed to identify the ways to promote green (environment-friendly) behavior among the stakeholders, especially the tourists – traveling into the Sundarbans. A convenience sampling technique was used in the study that included both domestic and foreign tourists. A structured questionnaire was developed that incorporated 30 Likert-scale questions based on four variables, namely 'awareness program', 'incentive programs', 'interpretation' and 'government interventions'. The four variables and their corresponding items were developed in the light of extant literature and adopted based on the socio-cultural atmosphere of Bangladesh. The survey was conducted from October 2019 to February 2020 and 320 valid responses were obtained. Multiple regression analysis was employed to test the proposed research model. The result shows that out of four independent variables, government intervention and incentive programs are significantly influential factors in achieving the green behavior of the tourists. The study findings are aligned with the previous studies. The findings will provide guidelines to the tourism service providers, destination hosts, local communities, government bodies and policy makers in achieving green behavior of the tourists that in turn will yield sustainable tourism in the Sundarbans.

Estuarine-deltaic controls on coastal carbon burial in the western Ganges-Brahmaputra delta over the last 5,000 years

The Ganges–Brahmaputra fluvial system drains the Himalayas and is one of the largest sources of terrestrial biosphere carbon to the ocean. It represents a major continental reservoir of CO2 associated with c. 1–2 billion tons of sediment transported each year. Shallow coastal environments receive substantial inputs of terrestrial carbon (900 Tg C yr−1), with allochthonous carbon capture on connected floodplains. Vegetated coastal ecosystems play a dominant role in the sequestration of carbon and operate as highly efficient carbon sinks. Mangrove sediments are subject to intense carbon-fixing processes that have a potentially high impact on the global carbon budget. The Sundarbans is the largest tidal mangrove forest in the world (10,200 km2 in area) and is located on the marine-terrestrial boundary of the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta and the Bay of Bengal, in West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh. Estimates of sedimentation on the tidal delta plain of the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta reveal mean rates of ∼1.1 cm yr−1 with accretion understood to approximately equal the regional rate of sea-level rise of ∼1.0 cm yr−1. In this study, the properties of sediments from the western Ganges-Brahmaputra delta are used to investigate controls on coastal carbon burial over the past 5,000 years. Our main findings are: (1) Beta regression of aluminium and silica ratio data is a robust method of estimating total organic carbon in sediment from the Indian Sundarbans; (2) the estimated rate of sediment deposition over last 5,000 years is between 1.0 and 2.5 mm yr−1, with uncertainty surrounding the reworked origins of sediment; and (3) temporal variation of total organic carbon accumulation through the last 5,000 years is generated by varying sedimentary depositional processes. The delivery and burial of total organic carbon is predicated on the continual supply of sediment to the Sundarbans, which future management strategies may need to consider given changing rates of deposition.

Feeding and Breeding Habits of Mangrove Kingfisher (Todiramphus Chloris) In the Sundarbans Reserve Forest, Bangladesh

not available Bangladesh J. Zool. 49 (2): 347-351, 2021