WLI World September 2026
Women Leading Wetland Restoration through a Bio Rights Approach in the Jharkhali Island of Sundarbans
Caption: Women from Jharkhali Island plant native mangrove saplings along degraded coastal wetlands in the Indian Sundarbans. Through SEED’s Bio Rights approach, local women lead restoration efforts while strengthening community stewardship and climate resilience. Credit: Photo: Sudip Maity / SEED
In the Indian Sundarbans, where wetlands provide both livelihoods and protection against climate change, the future of coastal communities is inseparable from the future of mangroves. Recurrent cyclones, riverbank erosion, rising sea levels and increasing salinity continue to threaten biodiversity as well as the lives of thousands of families. Recognizing this connection, SEED (Society for Socio-Economic & Ecological Development) has adopted a Bio Rights approach that links wetland restoration with sustainable livelihoods, transforming local communities from beneficiaries into custodians of their ecosystems.
Supported by Tiger Widows, Ireland, SEED has been implementing its Community-Led Mangrove Revival Project in Jharkhali Island since 2022. The initiative mobilizes women—particularly tiger widows and other climate-affected families—to restore degraded mangrove habitats while strengthening household resilience. To date, the project has restored over 35 hectares of degraded coastal land through the plantation of more than 150,000 native mangrove saplings, supported by community-managed nurseries and women-led conservation groups.
What makes this initiative unique is that success is measured not only by the number of mangroves planted but by the strength of community ownership. Through SEED’s Bio Rights model, conservation is directly linked with livelihood security. Women are trained in propagule collection, nursery management, plantation techniques, biodiversity conservation and long-term monitoring of restored sites. At the same time, households receive support for climate-resilient livelihoods such as backyard poultry, horticulture, beekeeping and other income-generating activities. These alternative livelihoods reduce dependence on fragile wetland resources while improving household income, food security and resilience to climate shocks.
Communication, education, participation and awareness are at the heart of the programme. Community meetings, participatory rural appraisals, environmental awareness campaigns and practical field demonstrations help local people understand the ecological importance of mangroves as natural barriers against cyclones, tidal surges and coastal erosion. Women who once depended on increasingly degraded natural resources have become environmental educators, nursery managers and community leaders, encouraging others to participate in wetland conservation. Local stewardship committees continue to protect restored plantation sites, ensuring long-term community ownership beyond the project period.
One of these inspiring women is Sampa Ghosh, who now proudly calls herself a guardian of the mangroves. She often recalls how repeated cyclones once washed away farmland and threatened her family’s future. Today, after receiving training through SEED’s programme, she helps raise mangrove saplings, participates in plantation drives and motivates other women to join conservation efforts. For Sampa and many others, restoring mangroves has become more than environmental work—it has restored confidence, dignity and hope for a safer future.
The ecological benefits are already visible. Restored mangrove belts are helping stabilize coastlines, reduce erosion, improve habitats for fish, crabs, birds and other wildlife, and strengthen the natural resilience of wetlands against climate extremes. Equally important, the project has created long-term green livelihood opportunities for women while building a strong culture of community stewardship.
SEED’s experience demonstrates that wetland restoration is most effective when communities are trusted as partners rather than beneficiaries. By combining conservation with rights, education, participation and sustainable livelihoods, the Bio Rights approach offers a practical and replicable model for restoring wetlands while improving the well-being of the people who depend on them. In the Sundarbans, women are proving that protecting wetlands is not simply about restoring nature—it is about securing a more resilient future for both people and biodiversity.
Caption: Tiger widows and members of local women’s groups participate in a community-led mangrove plantation drive in Jharkhali, restoring degraded wetlands while protecting livelihoods through SEED’s Bio Rights approach, supported by Tiger Widows, Ireland. Credit: Photo: Sudip Maity / SEED 
Caption: A woman from Jharkhali carefully plants a native mangrove sapling in the fragile intertidal wetlands of the Sundarbans, demonstrating how local leadership and community stewardship are restoring coastal ecosystems for future generations. Credit: Photo: Sudip Maity / SEED
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