When the protected become protectors: Coastal communities rise to nurse their mangroves
In Bangladesh’s vulnerable coastal belt, a community-led initiative by the NGO Friendship has transformed lives, turning those once shielded by mangrove forests into their guardians
In May 2020, Cyclone Amphan hit the Sundarbans and nearby areas with winds reaching 180 kilometres per hour. In Kulla village, a coastal area of Assasuni upazila in Satkhira district, widowed day labourer Marium Begum prepared for the worst.
When the Kapotaksha River embankment broke under the storm's force, floodwater rushed into the villages, tearing through her fragile tin-shed house and leaving her home submerged for months.
"I lost everything," Marium recalls. "Every cyclone claimed something from me, but Amphan claimed everything."
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For years, every storm along the coast brought devastation to Marium's life. But in 2021, things began to change when a natural solution to strengthen the embankment was introduced in her village. Marium was not only a beneficiary — she also took part in the project as a worker.
"Ever since we planted the mangrove trees, our river embankment hasn't been breached," Marium said.
Along the long stretches of riverbanks in Shyamnagar to Assasuni in Satkhira, miles of new mangrove belts have appeared over the past several years; tens of thousands of mangrove trees including Sundari, Gewa, and Keora now stand where the banks were once bare.
The project was launched in Shyamnagar in 2018, by Friendship, a Bangladeshi NGO, who identified a natural solution in mangrove restoration. The organisation developed a system for planting and safeguarding mangroves along the coastal riverbanks, not only rebuilding the protective barrier that shields embankments from erosion and storm surges, but also empowering local people to become its guardians.
These green lines of protection are now gradually extending into Khulna's Koyra and Paikgacha upazilas, planted and cared for by local communities living along this fragile coastal belt.
While the mangroves of the Sundarbans have long served as a natural shield between the land, sea and cyclones, the riverbanks on the other side — where human settlements lie — had been stripped of such protection, leaving residents exposed and defenceless.
As storms have grown more intense, embankments breached more frequently and saline water pushed further inland, these communities have found themselves increasingly vulnerable.
As a result, Friendship's mangrove project – which began as a response to recurring coastal disasters — has since evolved into one of Bangladesh's most successful community-based climate adaptation initiatives. By restoring more than 60 kilometres of mangrove forest and protecting over 125,000 people, the project has earned global recognition, securing Friendship a place among the 2025 Earthshot Prize Finalists in the 'Fix Our Climate' category.
The Earthshot Prize is a global environmental award recognising innovative solutions to the planet's biggest challenges. Founded in 2020 by Prince William, it selects five winners each year who receive funds and global support. The 2025 awards ceremony will take place on 5 November 2025 at the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The global climate crisis continues to displace millions, causing food insecurity, water scarcity and widespread loss and damage. While debates around the Paris Agreement and climate finance persist, many organisations are creating solutions that ease suffering.
"The Earthshot Prize is one such initiative recognising and connecting these solutions and their creators," said Kazi Amdadul Hoque, senior director of Strategic Planning and Head of Climate Action at Friendship.
The NGO is among the finalists, selected from 575 nominations submitted across 72 countries, in categories including Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World, and Fix Our Climate.
Two other finalists in the 'Fix Our Climate' category include Form Energy from the US, which has developed a battery combining iron and air. This technology allows weather-dependent solar and wind energy to be stored and used when needed, making renewable energy more reliable while also creating numerous green jobs.
The Bridgetown Initiative, the other finalist, is a Barbados-based financial reform platform led by Prime Minister Mia Mottley, aimed at restructuring global debt and climate finance systems to ease the economic burden on vulnerable nations and unlock funds for climate adaptation.
Friendship, founded in 2002, has major initiatives both in the south and northern Bangladesh.
In the south, Amdadul said they observed that no matter how many interventions they implemented, lasting progress was impossible without protection from climate threats. Rising sea levels, erosion and embankment breaches meant that even billion-dollar embankments were not sustainable.
"We realised that embankments could only be protected if complemented by natural defences, i.e., mangrove forests," Amdadul said.
Building on this natural strength of Bangladesh's mangrove forests, Friendship launched their mangrove restoration initiative, starting in Satkhira's Shyamnagar area and gradually expanding to Koyra and Paikgacha.
They began by engaging communities, who live in uncertainty, unsure if their loved ones who venture into the Sundarbans would return, and who face failed harvests due to salinity.
Historically, shrimp farming began in coastal areas in the 1960s as a form of adaptation, but over time it became part of the problem, worsening salinity as saline water was brought onto farmlands. Many farmers lost the ability to cultivate crops and became labourers on their own land.
Ibrahim Hossain from Pratapnagar union is one such farmer who cannot cultivate his own land. He now works for the mangrove plantation project as a day labourer.
"Many like me work and earn from this project," Ibrahim said.
He reconfirmed what Marium said: that the riverbank in his area has survived every cyclone since the mangroves were planted.
"One might ask: Why plant mangroves in a mangrove region? The answer is simple — while the Sundarbans mangroves lie on one side of the river, human settlements on the other side face the brunt of cyclones, embankment collapse, and saltwater intrusion," Amdadul said.
Through dialogue and participation, they convinced the locals that mangrove plantation is a practical and sustainable solution to their problems.
However, mobilising a workforce was a challenge, as many people migrated in search of work, and women had limited employment opportunities.
To address this, they introduced a 'Cash for Seeds' programme, which offers local communities cash incentives for raising and planting mangrove saplings.
When mangrove seeds float down from the forest and settle on riverbanks, local women like Marium Begum collect and process them into saplings. In collaboration with the Forest Department, Friendship trained these communities in nursery management.
"Today, we operate the largest private-sector mangrove nursery in Bangladesh," Amdadul said.
This initiative created income and engagement; communities earned both from selling seeds and from working as labourers raising saplings and planting them. Over time, the process became a community celebration — a festival of life and protection.
"Once the plantations took root, the communities themselves became the guardians of the mangroves, just as the Sundarbans protect us," he added.
They also studied why saplings were not growing naturally on riverbanks.
Two reasons stood out: Goats would graze on young saplings, and families used them as firewood before they matured, not realising their long-term protective value.
Through awareness and dialogue, communities came to understand that a line of mangrove trees could drastically reduce the impact of storms. This realisation was transformative, turning communities into planners, planters, and protectors.
"We began mangrove plantation in 2018 across Shyamnagar and Assasuni upazilas, and have now expanded our activities to Koyra and Paikgacha upazilas in Khulna district," said Mydul Islam, a senior technical manager of the Climate Action sector at Friendship.
"So far, we have transplanted 687,188 mangrove saplings, covering 226.71 hectares of land across 14 unions in Shyamnagar, Assasuni, Koyra, and Paikgacha.
"We have also raised 1,459,402 mangrove saplings in our own nurseries, directly benefiting 6,960 families and indirectly supporting 120,864 community members. Through these efforts, we have helped protect 65.715 kilometres of embankment," Islam further said.
This model offers an immediate, practical solution for coastal communities, Amdadul said.
During a recent visit to Deuti union in Paikgacha, local residents told him that if they could plant 100 kilometres of mangroves, they would feel secure. They also shared how life expectancy is decreasing, with many dying at 45–60 which Amdadul said was because of saline water consumption and related health complications, particularly among women.
"If all riverbanks were brought under mangrove protection, and if we built a value chain around mangrove-based livelihoods, it would be transformative," he said.
"Mangroves sequester carbon eight to ten times more effectively than terrestrial forests. They protect millions, generate livelihoods and absorb carbon — a truly holistic solution. We must expand these opportunities, promote climate-resilient crops, and scale up our mangrove-based economy. With this, we are acting locally, but the benefits are global," he added.
