The South Talpatti Island Disappeared: Can Bangladesh Confront Sea Level Rise?

Bangladesh, a low-lying delta country is highly affected by global warming. The problems due to climate change are made much worse by more severe storm surges, droughts and floods in the Sundarbans territory. Therefore, the study aimed to assess the predicted impact of sea level on the coastal and mangrove areas, and to find out the solutions for overcoming the challenges. Based on respondents’ perceptions, the study revealed that minimum sea level rise will destroy the ecosystems of swampy mangroves and the dune biodiversity. A good number of species will be vulnerable and the maximum species on islands will face a high risk of extinction due to the medium level of rising sea. The coasts will be squeezed drastically with a high level of rise. The respondents stressed adopting an integrated approach so that natural and social scientists work together and find out how we project our future to unfold. The integrated approach includes using Dutch technology to prepare dams in the coastal areas; working with the flow of sediment and accelerating the accretion of new lands and investing to make seawalls and other coastal protections to reduce vulnerability sharply. Examining changes in biome areas under two scenarios: 1) shifts in biomes kept pace with shifts in climatic conditions and 2) biomes fail to shift to new areas due to migration limitation are highly warranted.