Editor’s note: Call to Earth is a CNN editorial series dedicated to reporting on the environmental challenges facing our planet and their solutions. Rolex’s Perpetual Planet Initiative has partnered with CNN to promote awareness and education on key sustainability issues and inspire positive action.
Malati Mondal’s husband was killed by a tiger. He was attacked about 10 years ago while fishing in a mangrove forest on a small raft. Communities living in the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest spanning India’s West Bengal state and southern Bangladesh, are facing increasing risks.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this maze of tidal flats, flats and islands is home to an incredible variety of endangered species, including river dolphins, Indian pythons and Bengal tigers.
Unlike most big cats, these tigers lead an amphibious lifestyle, swimming long distances to hunt fish and crabs. An estimated 125 people live in the Sundarbans region of Bangladesh, and about 88 people live on the Indian side. But conservationists say a combination of diminishing tiger habitat due to deforestation and growing human populations is leading to an increase in human-tiger conflicts.
Saurav Malhotra, project leader at the non-profit organization Conservation International, says competition for food resources is intensifying. Men who venture deep into the forest to hunt fish are unfairly attacked.
There are few official records of these killings, with one estimate that 300 people have been killed and 46 tigers killed in human-tiger conflicts since 2000. But there is lasting evidence of their demise in the number of “tiger widows” left behind.
Like Mondal, these women have traditionally been treated as outcasts and blamed for their husbands’ deaths. They are called “swami kejos” (which translates to “husband eaters” in Bengali) and are therefore unable to pursue traditional occupations such as farming or fishing. This prejudice not only leaves women unable to earn a living, but also prevents them from receiving government assistance. Many fatal tiger attacks are caused by illegal forest trespassing, leaving tigers without financial compensation and little ability to care for themselves and their young.
A new conservation initiative aimed at tiger widows hopes to help these families re-establish their place in the community, providing a source of income while restoring the environment they and the tigers depend on.
Shahif Ali, 26, a fellow at i-Behind The Ink (IBTI), a social enterprise that runs youth rewilding programs focused on the Jalhari region of the Sundarbans along the Mutrah River, is leading the effort from the field. He brought together tiger widows and other local women to restore 100 hectares of mangrove forest. They are planting over 100,000 saplings this week on 40 hectares of coastline between the two villages of Laskarpur and Vivekananda Palli.
Currently, these villages are protected by a single levee, making them vulnerable to rising sea levels and storm surges, Ali said. “If the levees burst, entire villages could be destroyed: homes, agriculture, land and everything else.”
Native mangrove saplings, grown and cared for by women over the past six months, have been planted in front of the embankment. This restores dense forests that have been cleared for farming and fishing, providing an additional layer of protection against violent cyclones that are increasing in intensity and frequency as the climate changes.
Forests also act as a barrier against increased water salinity caused by flooding, which threatens mangrove health, destroys soil and crops, and disrupts fish populations.
The idea is that over time, fish populations will recover, providing more food for both humans and tigers, thus reducing human-tiger conflicts.
Mondal is one of seven tiger widows and 59 women in total currently participating in the project. Another 20 widows are expected to join the initiative later this month, and Ali said at least 75 more are interested. The challenge, she says, is that women are scattered across the region, with limited options for safe travel, and that building their trust takes time.
The women are paid 300 rupees (approximately 300 yen) per day for this work. While this may sound expensive, “it makes a real difference,” Ali says. “It’s the difference between ignoring a disease and getting treatment, and the difference between skipping a meal and feeding your children properly.”
Similar efforts to restore mangroves through livelihood support programs are underway on both the Bangladeshi and Indian sides of the Sundarbans, including efforts aimed at tiger widows, such as the community-led initiative Jhalkari Sabzi Bahini.
Restore the forest and life
Mangrove restoration is part of Conservation International’s larger Mountains to Mangroves initiative, which spans from the Himalayas to the Sundarbans and aims to protect and restore 1 million hectares of forest in the region. Malhotra said the region is one of the most densely populated biodiversity hotspots on Earth and faces major challenges from climate change and deforestation.
While restoring 100 hectares of mangroves in the Sundarbans is only a small part of the overall goal, Malhotra hopes the project will scale up and serve as a blueprint for restoration across a wider area.
“The ultimate goal is to bring back mangrove ecosystems, because restoring mangrove ecosystems is the most holistic way to create resilience to all the challenges of climate change,” he says. Being able to do this while providing an income opportunity for women whose lives have been destroyed by tiger attacks is a huge benefit.
“Women are working towards a cause that has disrupted their lives,” he says. “This is about restoring dignity and building resilience for women and the wider community.”
Ali’s vision is to do just that. “I want to expand the project in most remote and vulnerable areas of the Sundarbans. I am ready to travel and walk into remote places… because as the project grows, we will be able to reach more people,” he says.
“I have met many tiger widows,” he added. “My focus is on building a safe space for the women who work with us. When women feel safe and respected, others will be inspired to join.”
