Studies on Coastal Environments in Bangladesh

The coastal zone is a unique place of vital importance to innumerable terrestrial and aquatic life forms. It is one of the most productive areas accessible to people. People have always been drawn to coastal areas for food, commerce and recreation. The coast also provides an important safety feature for people living near the ocean. Beaches, dunes, barrier islands, mangrove forests all act as buffers against the high winds and waves associated with coastal storms. The coastal zone also provides a unique habitat for thousands of plant and animal species that cannot be duplicated elsewhere. The estuaries provide a nursery for numerous species of fish, whereas the coastal wetlands are home to variety of birds, plants and other biota, and also serve the important role of filtering impurities in the water coursing through them. Over the last several decades, increases in the coastal population and accelerated land-use changes have threatened key ecosystem functions that are necessary to maintain plant and animal communities, the quality and quantity of our water supplies, and our ability to harvest the historically abundant natural resources from our bays, estuaries, and the oceans within our coastal waters. Concerns about the health of the environment have become firmly embedded in people’s list of vital issues confronting present and future generations. Along with increased public attention on environmental issues, there is a need for a thorough understanding of the principles and processes as they pertain to the coastal zone. There are few areas of research where the transfer of scientific information to the public sector is more critically needed than in understanding and mitigating the impacts of development on coastal habitats. This volume, a collection of articles on coastal environment, will encourage students and young researchers to take that first step toward scientific inquiry of coastal issues in Bangladesh. This book will also be a valuable resource to those interested in coastal zone in general.