40-year-old Mamata Begum describes herself as daughter of the Nodi-vanga – a Bengali term meaning "river-broken" and refers to the widespread riverbank erosion across Bangladesh’s riverine landscape.
Thirty-five years ago, her parents were displaced when erosion consumed their home, forcing them to relocate 20 kilometers to the coastal island of Nijhum Dwip where the Meghna River meets the Bay of Bengal. They settled on her grandfather’s land. He was a fisherman who would journey up to 20-hour long to Raipur and Chandpur, sub-districts further inland, to sell his catch.
Over the last three decades, climate-related pressures – including riverbank erosion, cyclones, sea-level rise and salinity intrusion, combined with habitat degradation and increasing fishing pressures – have reduced the resilience of coastal communities and intensified livelihood pressures on fishing dependent households.
As wild-caught fishing has become increasingly uncertain, many households have diversified their income sources through alternative livelihood activities such as poultry, livestock, crop farming, and small businesses. Mamata, like her grandfather who supplemented his fishing with a small tea stall and livestock, has followed a similar path of diversifying her income.
With five children to support, Mamata turned to raising and selling livestock. Her yard is filled with a chorus of chickens and ducks that provide both essential household nutrition and supplementary income. She has also taken up compost fertiliser production and tree planting. As the president of her local women’s group, she supports others in pursuing alternative livelihoods – championing for women to be included in economic decision-making.
Mamata's ambitions continue to grow. Already skilled in traditional fish drying, she believes that improving processing techniques, product quality, and access to markets could significantly increase her family's income. She also hopes to help other women explore sustainable livelihood opportunities that reduce dependence on declining fisheries.
The Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystems Phase II (BOBLME II) project, co-led by IUCN and FAO, aims to support this shift, recognising that sustainable livelihoods and marine conservation are most effective when pursued together. Nijhum Dwip has been identified as a priority site for the implementation of a Marine Managed Areas (MMA) - an approach to ocean management that allows conservation and community fishing activities to co-exist.
The project builds on an existing co-management plan for the island's Marine Protected Area that has been in place since 2021. On the water, Blue Guard teams, made up of local youth, remove destructive ghost nets and run peer education on sustainable fishing practices while citizen scientists collect data on fish catches and marine life. Combined with awareness campaigns, rice compensation for households during fishing ban periods, and alternative livelihood support, these efforts have contributed to improvements in compliance with fishing regulations.
A core part of the BOBLME II project focuses on livelihoods. In selected coastal communities, the project will support women to develop alternative sources of income including livestock rearing, poultry, crop farming and small businesses – reducing their dependence on fishing at a time when catches are declining.
Mamata's experience points to a wider pattern across fishing-dependent coastal communities in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. Where households have access to diversified income, they are better placed to absorb the impact of fishing bans, declining catches and seasonal instability. For Mamata, her thirty-five-year journey to protect the island's resources continues – not only for her own children, but for the women she leads and the fishing community that surrounds her.
