European Union, represented by the European Commission, on behalf of the Government of Bangladesh, has issued a call for proposals for funding the Sundarbans Environmental And Livelihoods Security (SEALS) project aimed at maintaining or improving ecosystem productivity and the environmental and social integrity of the north coastal lands of the Bay of Bengal.
Activities
- Restore, modernize and cyclone-proof Sundarbans Reserved Forests (SRF) protection in light of the new management plan
- Establish sustainable Management Information System to guide SRF protection and management
- Improve sustainability of SRF resource extraction
- Develop alternative livelihoods for SRF dependent households
- Reduce disaster risk of Sundarbans Impact Zone (SIZ) communities, dependent on SRF
Desired Results
- Restored and improved Government capacity to protect and manage the SRF
- Sustainable SRF resource extraction and dependence of surrounding communities on resources gathered from the Sundarbans and their exposure to natural disasters reduced sustainably
About the SEALS Project
A large number of resource users, estimated to be over 0.6 million, are partly or fully dependent on the Sundarbans (Bangladesh part) for their livelihood. They are mostly poor and often live from hand to mouth. They can hardly switch away from the use of Sundarbans resources, even if aware of the damage that they cause to the Sundarbans ecosystem. While they can be motivated through awareness programmes, these community people need substantial assistance to reduce their dependence on Sundarbans resources. The SEALS project aims to improve the value chain of Sundarbans products, so that the actual resource gatherers can obtain a larger share of the profit, and to introduce or upscale suitable and acceptable alternate Income Generating Activities (IGA) among the Sundarbans resource users, which is expected to substantially reduce the current pressure on the Sundarbans.
Deadline for submitting the proposal is June 30, 2011
For eligibility criteria, further information and other details please visit this link.
