Climate Change Impact on Landuse and Livelihood in Sundarbans: A Case Study of Sagar Island

Sagar island, situated in the coastal mangrove belt of West Bengal, is one of most climate sensitive regions of the world. Ravaging tropical cyclones and massive erosion due to unprecedented sea level rise has become a sad reality of the island in the last few decades. Loss of livelihood and lack of government interventions has resulted in a horrific deterioration of conditions of the people residing there. This study has identified some of the vulnerable locations, which are in immediate need of attention in terms of infrastructural development and the overall upliftment. The erosion prone locations are identified after a rigorous literature review and with the use of satellite imageries and geoprocessing tools. Land Use Land Cover maps for the years 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020 and 2022 was made to compare the geomorphological changes over the decades and to understand the extent to which climate change has been impacting the ecologically sensitive island. Field survey were conducted to assess the impact of climate change on the lifestyle and livelihood of the people. Finally, a few adaptive strategies have been indicated which can bring forth economic development of the people and to some extent safeguard their life and livelihood.