“This is the most important area for tigers in the world and must be protected. Britain would not let a Bangladeshi company drill for oil in the Lake District.”

—Muhammed Ali Ashraf, Institute for Environment and Development Studies - Friends of the Earth - Bangladesh

Protect World's Largest Mangrove Forest / Bangladesh - Victory

Bangladesh's Sundarbans ("beautiful forest") holds two "world's largest" titles: world's largest expanse of mangroves, and world's largest tiger reserve. Its importance is recognized by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site. Home to 450 Royal Bengal tigers, three species of wild cat, the Ganges river dolphin and crocodiles, the Sundarbans is now threatened by oil and gas development.

The Bangladesh government recently completed initial signing of a Production Sharing Contract (PSC) with Shell Oil Company and Cairn Energy to begin oil and gas exploration in the Sundarbans. Bangladeshi environmental organizations vigorously oppose all oil activity in the Sundarbans. Shell's brutal devastation of Niger Delta mangroves and villages (see box) is a grim warning that oil and mangroves don't mix.

Bangladesh is a vast floodplain only a few feet above sea level, where the Ganges, Jamuna and Meghna rivers form the world's largest river deltas. Floods, tropical cyclones and storms often cause catastrophes. The Sundarbans mangrove forest provides a natural buffer against raging storms and tidal surges that assault Bangladesh from the Bay of Bengal.

The Sundarbans Reserve Forest covers 6017 sq. kms of forests, wildlife sanctuaries, sandbars, rivers and canals. The mangrove vegetation stabilizes the coastline, enhances land-building and enriches both soil and aquatic environments. It provides homes and food for wildlife, and nursery grounds for fish, shrimps and prawns. Two million people depend for their survival on this biologically rich ecosystem, where they find honey, shells, crabs, shrimps, fishes, wood and fuelwood.

The Sundarbans Reserve Forest lies in Block 5 of Shell's oil/gas concession, where the company plans to conduct seismic and aerial surveys. Friends of the Earth-Bangladesh warns that oil and gas exploration could interrupt fresh water flow to the mangroves, alter the flow of tidal sea water to the mangroves and the forest, and alter drainage patterns, vegetation and soil composition. Low altitude flights could destroy the breeding, migration and growth patterns of many sensitive bird species. Deforestation would occur during the construction of platforms, camps, wells, heliports and access roads.

In response to environmentalists' protests, Shell Bangladesh claims it will not conduct oil activity in sensitive areas of the Sundarbans. However, the entire Sundarbans is ecologically sensitive, vulnerable, and vital for Bangladesh!

More information about this issue.

Make a donation for this campaign.

Write a letter for this campaign.

Campaign partner(s) and credits.