IAS Seminar: Building Ecosystem Service Resilience through Customary Regulatory Mechanism

IAS Residential Fellow Dr Ranit Chatterjee delivers a seminar on their research.

Sundarbans is the largest river delta in the world, spread over 200 islands, separated by nearly 400 interconnected tidal rivers and creeks, at the confluence of Ganga, Meghna, and Brahmaputra (GBM) in the Bay of Bengal, spanning across India and Bangladesh. A world heritage site where biodiversity and physiology are intertwined with the lives and livelihoods of the people. In recent years, a change in the natural hazard intensity coupled with climate change has been impacting Sundarbans. As a result, alongside the vital ecosystems, the outstanding universal value of Sundarbans stands at risk of being degraded or destroyed. One of the intrinsic conservation practices is the customary regulations that safeguard and stand as an obligatory rule of conduct by the local communities. For centuries, the customary regulatory mechanism has been able to keep a delicate balance between the ecosystem and the linked livelihoods. The local practice has significantly played a vital role in underlining the place-based framing of environmental consciousness and forest conservation. This seminar will highlight the significance of traditional knowledge and its incorporation that helps in building a holistic cultural conservation forest management system in the Indian Sundarbans. Furthermore, the lecture will highlight pathways to conserve, regulate, and restore the ecosystem and its linked resources.

Arrivals from 11:45am for a 12pm start. For those joining in-person, lunch will be served after the seminar from 1pm.