Invasive Species in the Sundarbans Coastal Zone (Bangladesh) in Times of Climate Change: Chances and Threats

Abstract

The Sundarbans mangrove forests, wetlands and their native as well as invasive plant species are lying within the Bangladesh coastal region, which is gifted with vast natural resources, a delta, tidal flat, mangrove forests, marches, lagoons, bars, spilt, estuaries and coastal ecological environment. These habitats, biotopes and ecosystems also serve as habitat for especially four dominant tree species of the Sundarbans, the Sundri (Heritiera fomes), Gewa (Excoecaria agallocha), (Ceriops decandra) and (Sonneratia apetala). But the existence of these and many more native species is endangered. The Sundarbans species are threatened by various natural and anthropogenic pressures including climate change. So the native species are approximately decreasing significantly by the year 2100 due to sea level rise (88 cm) in the Sundarbans area compared to the year 2001.There 23 invasive species, which belong to 18 families and 23 genera. These species are highly invasive, six species are moderately invasive and the remaining are potentially invasive. From the 23 invasive species only four are exotic or alien. The disturbances may arrest succession at any stage and contribute to the biological invasion of invasive plants. The within these biodiversity hotspots and vast natural or coastal water resources lying potential for communities survival and 36.8 million dependent people are some of the strongly pending managing demands next to existing Natural World Heritage Sites’ already existing protective management support to be discussed in this chapter. As with the coastal natural resources drastically reduction due to unplanned use by community and stakeholders, also the Sundarbans mangrove forests, wetlands and their species are vastly affected through these developments and the most important observation for vulnerability aspects and maximum possible amplitudes is coming up, which has been investigated in within this research and chapter. Also the present situation stated that an integrated natural resource management plan is necessary for the protection of the mangrove coastal ecosystem.