Mangrove Army: How Sundarbans’ ‘tiger widows’ are protecting the forest, one sapling a time

The Mangrove Army is a women’s group restoring mangrove forests in West Bengal’s Sundarbans. Its members plant saplings along muddy riverbanks, especially where villages meet tiger-inhabited forest. Their work matters because mangroves act as natural barriers against cyclones, storm surges and strong winds.

The initiative began with about 200 village women after Cyclone Aila devastated the region in 2009. They now wade through knee-deep mud and plant thousands of saplings each year. Members do not receive wages. Instead, they receive supplies such as rice, dal, cooking oil, spices, seeds, fish fingerlings and chickens.

The group has grown to around 600 women, including about 120 who lost husbands in tiger attacks. Since 2009, it has planted more than 1.3 million saplings on 12 remote islands. The group was officially named the Mangrove Army in July 2023 and later praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The initiative has grown from a small village effort into a large community movement. Around 600 women now belong to the Mangrove Army. Approximately 120 members have lost their husbands in tiger attacks and are known as “tiger widows.” The group works across remote islands in the Sundarbans.

Its planting record is substantial. Since the initiative began in 2009, members have planted more than 1.3 million mangrove saplings. The work has taken place along riverbanks on 12 islands, including Satjelia, Kumirmari and Choto Mollakhali. Women plant thousands of saplings every year, often in knee-deep mud.

The figures show both the scale and continuity of the effort. The group was formed after Cyclone Aila and officially named the Mangrove Army in July 2023. Its expanding membership and planting work support village protection, although the article notes that mangrove cover remains vulnerable.

Some members are called “tiger widows” because their husbands were killed by tigers in the Sundarbans forest. The men entered creeks and forest areas for work, including catching crabs. Tiger attacks therefore caused both personal tragedy and sudden financial hardship for households that depended on one main earner.

Namita Kayal lost her husband in a 2021 tiger attack while he was catching crabs. Her sister-in-law, Anita Kayal, lost her husband in a similar attack in 2017. Both women said their husbands were their families’ only earning members. They now plant mangroves with the group and receive household supplies instead of wages.

Approximately 120 of the Mangrove Army’s roughly 600 members have lost husbands in tiger attacks. The initiative gives these women practical support, including food and other essentials. It also connects their livelihood with protecting the riverbanks separating villages from tiger habitat.

Cyclone Aila was the turning point behind the Mangrove Army. After the cyclone devastated the Sundarbans in 2009, West Bengal government schoolteacher Umashankar Mondal brought together around 200 village women. He organised them to plant mangrove saplings along riverbanks.

The idea addressed a clear local need. Mangrove forests can form a natural barrier against cyclones, storm surges and strong winds. Planting along the riverbanks helped create protection between villages and the waterways connected to the wider Sundarbans. The work also supported conservation of the region’s fragile ecosystem.

The original effort expanded over time. It now includes around 600 women and has planted more than 1.3 million saplings across 12 remote islands since 2009. The women receive essential supplies rather than wages. The group was officially named the Mangrove Army in July 2023.

Planted mangroves protect villages by forming a natural barrier along riverbanks. Their forests stand between settlements and waterways exposed to cyclones from the Bay of Bengal. This barrier helps reduce the effects of storm surges and strong winds before they reach homes and other village areas.

The Mangrove Army plants saplings on muddy banks that separate villages from the Sundarbans forest. Since 2009, its members have planted more than 1.3 million saplings across 12 remote islands. As the mangroves grow, they become part of the protective forest edge. Prime Minister Modi described the planted mangroves as a natural shield for villages.

This protection matters beyond individual settlements. The Sundarbans also acts as a buffer for Kolkata, about 100 kilometres northwest, against cyclones originating in the Bay of Bengal. However, the region’s mangrove cover remains vulnerable, and the Forest Survey of India reported only a marginal overall increase between 2019 and 2021.

Restoring mangroves matters because the Sundarbans is shared by human communities and wildlife. The delta contains villages, tiger habitat, national parks, tiger reserves and wildlife sanctuaries. Mangroves help conserve this fragile ecosystem while creating a protective edge for settlements exposed to cyclones and storm surges.

The Mangrove Army plants saplings along riverbanks separating villages from the forest. This work supports people directly by strengthening a natural shield against strong winds and storms. It also restores forest cover in a region that is home to more than 100 tigers. Women who lost husbands in tiger attacks receive essential household supplies through the initiative.

The approach links conservation with livelihood support. Around 600 women participate, and more than 1.3 million saplings have been planted since 2009. The need remains urgent because the region’s mangrove cover is vulnerable. The article reports that recent gains were largely driven by open mangrove cover, which primarily includes plantations.

Mangroves are trees and shrubs adapted to salty, waterlogged coastal environments. They grow where rivers meet the sea, including deltas such as the Sundarbans. Their special ability to tolerate salt lets them survive conditions that would damage many ordinary plants. The article identifies mangroves as a fragile ecosystem and a natural coastal barrier.

Their tangled roots spread through soft mud and help bind shoreline sediments. This can reduce erosion and slow the force of moving water, while dense branches and trunks help weaken strong winds and waves. The roots, mud and canopy also create shelter and feeding areas for fish, birds and other wildlife. These ecosystem details are established ecological knowledge beyond the article’s specific examples.

In the Sundarbans, mangroves therefore connect coastline stability, storm protection and biodiversity. Women plant them along riverbanks to protect villages and restore forests. The effort is important because mangrove cover remains vulnerable, even though total cover increased marginally from 2,112 square kilometres in 2019 to 2,114 square kilometres in 2021.