IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i4p1567-d1590866.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Nature Meets Infrastructure: The Role of Mangroves in Strengthening Bangladesh’s Coastal Flood Defenses

Author

Listed:
  • Alejandra Gijón Mancheño

    (Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN Delft, The Netherlands
    World Bank, 1818 H Street, Washington, DC 20433, USA)

  • Bramka A. Jafino

    (World Bank, 1818 H Street, Washington, DC 20433, USA)

  • Bas Hofland

    (Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN Delft, The Netherlands)

  • Bregje K. van Wesenbeeck

    (Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN Delft, The Netherlands
    Department of Ecosystems and Sediment Dynamics, Deltares, P.O. Box 177, 2600 MH Delft, The Netherlands)

  • Swarna Kazi

    (World Bank, 1818 H Street, Washington, DC 20433, USA)

  • Ignacio Urrutia

    (World Bank, 1818 H Street, Washington, DC 20433, USA)

Abstract

Mangroves have been used for coastal protection in Bangladesh since the 1960s, but their integration with embankment designs has not been fully explored. This paper investigates the effect of existing mangroves on required embankment performance, with a focus on the wave-damping effect of mangroves. Existing mangroves reduce the required thickness of embankment revetment by up to 16–30% in the west, 47–82% in the central region, and 53–77% in the east. Notable mangrove sites include the belt south of polder 45 (Amtali), with an average width of 1.77 km, and the Kukri-Mukri polder, with an average width of 1.82 km. These mangroves reduce the need for thick slope protection, allowing the replacement of concrete revetments with softer materials, such as clay or grass, combined with mangrove foreshore. Additional large mangrove belts are found in Sandwip and Mirersarai. By replacing or reducing revetment requirements, mangrove forests can minimize carbon emissions from construction while providing carbon sequestration and other ecosystem services. This study can inform future sustainable investments in coastal protection systems by identifying areas where mangroves offer the greatest wave-damping benefits, which could be focus of follow-up feasibility studies.

Suggested Citation

  • Alejandra Gijón Mancheño & Bramka A. Jafino & Bas Hofland & Bregje K. van Wesenbeeck & Swarna Kazi & Ignacio Urrutia, 2025. "Nature Meets Infrastructure: The Role of Mangroves in Strengthening Bangladesh’s Coastal Flood Defenses," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-14, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:4:p:1567-:d:1590866
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/4/1567/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/4/1567/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. M. Brander, Luke & J. Wagtendonk, Alfred & S. Hussain, Salman & McVittie, Alistair & Verburg, Peter H. & de Groot, Rudolf S. & van der Ploeg, Sander, 2012. "Ecosystem service values for mangroves in Southeast Asia: A meta-analysis and value transfer application," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 62-69.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nibedita Mukherjee & Jean Huge & Farid Dahdouh-Guebas & Nico Koedam, 2014. "Ecosystem service valuations of mangrove ecosystems to inform decision making and future valuation exercises," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/217963, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    2. Rao, Nalini S. & Ghermandi, Andrea & Portela, Rosimeiry & Wang, Xuanwen, 2015. "Global values of coastal ecosystem services: A spatial economic analysis of shoreline protection values," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 11(C), pages 95-105.
    3. Palola, Pirta & Bailey, Richard & Wedding, Lisa, 2022. "A novel framework to operationalise value-pluralism in environmental valuation: Environmental value functions," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    4. Pettinotti, Laetitia & de Ayala, Amaia & Ojea, Elena, 2018. "Benefits From Water Related Ecosystem Services in Africa and Climate Change," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 294-305.
    5. Chaikumbung, Mayula & Doucouliagos, Hristos & Scarborough, Helen, 2016. "The economic value of wetlands in developing countries: A meta-regression analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 164-174.
    6. Prieur, Jacques, 2020. "Critical warning! Preventing the multidimensional apocalypse on planet Earth," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).
    7. Kanokporn Swangjang, 2022. "Linkage of Sustainability to Environmental Impact Assessment Using the Concept of Ecosystem Services: Lessons from Thailand," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-18, May.
    8. Foody, G.M., 2015. "Valuing map validation: The need for rigorous land cover map accuracy assessment in economic valuations of ecosystem services," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 23-28.
    9. Hernández-Blanco, Marcello & Costanza, Robert & Cifuentes-Jara, Miguel, 2021. "Economic valuation of the ecosystem services provided by the mangroves of the Gulf of Nicoya using a hybrid methodology," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    10. Villanueva, Anastasio J. & Vernaza-Quiñónez, Lucía & Granado-Díaz, Rubén, 2023. "Disentangling the heterogeneity of mangrove managers' perception of ecosystem services," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).
    11. Chen, Wanxu & Chi, Guangqing & Li, Jiangfeng, 2020. "The spatial aspect of ecosystem services balance and its determinants," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    12. Kevin J. Boyle & Christopher F. Parmeter, 2017. "Benefit Transfer for Ecosystem Services," Working Papers 2017-07, University of Miami, Department of Economics.
    13. Mohammad Nur Nobi & A. H. M. Raihan Sarker & Biswajit Nath & Eivin R{o}skaft & Ma Suza & Paul Kvinta, 2021. "Economic valuation of tourism of the Sundarban Mangroves, Bangladesh," Papers 2110.00182, arXiv.org.
    14. Md. Ali Akber & Muhammad Mainuddin Patwary & Md. Atikul Islam & Mohammad Rezaur Rahman, 2018. "Storm protection service of the Sundarbans mangrove forest, Bangladesh," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 94(1), pages 405-418, October.
    15. Céline Huber & Luc Doyen & Sylvie Ferrari, 2021. "Profitability and conservation goals reconciled through biodiversity offsets," Bordeaux Economics Working Papers 2021-19, Bordeaux School of Economics (BSE).
    16. Taye, Fitalew Agimass & Folkersen, Maja Vinde & Fleming, Christopher M. & Buckwell, Andrew & Mackey, Brendan & Diwakar, K.C. & Le, Dung & Hasan, Syezlin & Ange, Chantal Saint, 2021. "The economic values of global forest ecosystem services: A meta-analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    17. Stoeckl, Natalie & Dodd, Aaron & Kompas, Tom, 2023. "The monetary value of 16 services protected by the Australian National Biosecurity System: Spatially explicit estimates and vulnerability to incursions," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    18. Florian V. Eppink & Luke M. Brander & Alfred J. Wagtendonk, 2014. "An Initial Assessment of the Economic Value of Coastal and Freshwater Wetlands in West Asia," Land, MDPI, vol. 3(3), pages 1-17, June.
    19. Heru Susilo & Yoshifumi Takahashi & Mitsuyasu Yabe, 2017. "The Opportunity Cost of Labor for Valuing Mangrove Restoration in Mahakam Delta, Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-13, November.
    20. Nibedita Mukherjee & William J Sutherland & Lynn Dicks & Jean Hugé & Nico Koedam & Farid Dahdouh-Guebas, 2014. "Ecosystem Service Valuations of Mangrove Ecosystems to Inform Decision Making and Future Valuation Exercises," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(9), pages 1-9, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:4:p:1567-:d:1590866. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.