Climate change impacts on the Sundarban mangrove forests of India
Sarika KESWANI, Mohit KUMAR
Abstract. The Sundarban, the world’s biggest continuous mangrove environment and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is both a biodiversity hotspot and an important ecological buffer for the Bengal delta. However, this fragile terrain is under significant stress as a result of anthropogenic climate change, which endangers its natural balance and social-ecological functions. This study examines the key climate-related stresses on the Indian Sundarbans, emphasizing the linked effects of sea-level rise, strengthening cyclones, and salinity intrusion. Rising sea levels—at a quicker rate than the world average—are hastening coastal erosion and submerging mangrove areas. This process also causes saline water intrusion inland, affecting soil and water quality and contributing to the demise of salt-sensitive mangrove species like Heritiera fomes (Sundari).The ecological vacuum is being filled by more salt-tolerant species, causing changes in forest composition. Furthermore, the Bay of Bengal has experienced increasingly frequent and severe cyclonic occurrences, causing physical damage to mangrove canopies, accelerating erosion, and destabilizing the intertidal ecology. Collectively, these stressors endanger the existence of the Royal Bengal Tiger and weaken the crucial ecological services that support millions of people in the region. The findings highlight the urgent need for adaptive, science-driven conservation measures to strengthen the Sundarbans’ resilience to climate change.
Keywords
Mangroves, Sunderban, Climate Change
Published online 6/20/2026, 7 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Sarika KESWANI, Mohit KUMAR, Climate change impacts on the Sundarban mangrove forests of India, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 67, pp 705-711, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904176-97
The article was published as article 97 of the book Climate Action and Sustainability
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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