Bioregional Analysis and Ecological Politics of the Indian Sundarbans: An Interpretative Study

Abstract

The Sundarbans is a uniquely gifted landscape. From the world’s largest thriving mangrove forest to the home to the Royal Bengal Tiger, it is indeed a storehouse of natural resources. But sadly, this ecosystem is equally fragile. This vulnerability is projected through biodiversity loss, rise in average temperature, and sea level rise due to climate change. In addition to being a low-lying coastal region, which makes it more susceptible to frequent cyclones, tidal floods, and earthquakes; this landscape experiences severe conflicts of interest between the locals and the wildlife, which has been impacting this dynamic relationship since the introduction of the conservation policies in the colonial era. There are many theoretical paradigms that challenge and examine this dynamic relationship, and one such is bioregionalism. Bioregionalism, in short, is both an environmental movement as well as a philosophy that affirms that a region is not solely defined by the border led by politics or legislation, but is held together by its natural forms, flora, and fauna. This movement critiques the mainstream dualistic modernity perspective and posits a co-adaptive, sustainable, and de-centralized working society. For this reason, this paper proposes to explore the Indian Sundarbans, as a unique cultural landscape by analyzing three events from the past: Project Tiger 1973, Morichjhanpi Massacre 1979, and The Sahara India Group Project of “Virgin Islands” 2003 from a bioregional perspective. This paper intends to undertake a correlational philosophical study to analyze a South Asian landscape (Indian Sundarbans) from an American theoretical standpoint (bioregionalism). Using the Indian Sundarbans as a case study, this study is aimed at exploring the underpinnings of bioregionalism and understanding the discourses that condition it.