Drivers of biocapacity and global impact of the world's largest mangrove in ecological footprint accounting

Md Rezaul Karim; Md. Shamim Reza Saimun; Hossain  Mahmud  Sammi; Ariful Khan; Md. Sahinur Islam Fahim; Fahmida Sultana; Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava; Pallab  Mozumder; Daniel A. Friess; Sharif A Mukul; Mohammad A S Arfin-Khan

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127815

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Drivers of biocapacity and global impact of the world's largest mangrove in ecological footprint accounting

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Drivers of biocapacity and global impact of the world's largest mangrove in ecological footprint accounting

Md Rezaul Karim, Md. Shamim Reza Saimun, Hossain Mahmud Sammi, Ariful Khan, Md. Sahinur Islam Fahim, Fahmida Sultana, Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava, Pallab Mozumder, Daniel A. Friess, Sharif A Mukul, …

Journal of Environmental Management, Vol.395, pp.1-12

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127815

PMID: 41172828

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Abstract

mangrove

The Sundarbans

climate change

salinity

biocapacity

ecosystem services

ecological footprint accounting

spatial modeling

Mangrove forests play a vital role in climate regulation, carbon storage, and biodiversity conservation, yet their capacity to meet ecological demands remains poorly quantified. The Sundarbans, the world's largest contiguous mangrove ecosystem, faces escalating environmental pressures that threaten its biocapacity—the ability of ecosystems to provide renewable resources and absorb human-generated waste. This study evaluates biocapacity and ecological deficit/reserve at local, national, and global scales by integrating key environmental drivers, including salinity, stand structure, and climate variables. Data were collected from 54 georeferenced plots covering 54 management compartments, and analyses were conducted at plot-level, compartment-level, and broader regional scales. Results reveal significant spatial variability, with the oligohaline zone supporting the largest ecological reserve (1.87 ± 0.164 gha/person), followed by the mesohaline (1.13 ± 0.167 gha/person), whereas polyhaline regions exhibit the lowest reserve (0.48 ± 0.1 gha/person). Globally, polyhaline zones face severe ecological deficits (−1.11 ± 0.1 gha/person), highlighting their vulnerability to environmental stressors. Biocapacity correlates with salinity (r = −0.39), temperature (r = −0.42), precipitation (r = 0.32), and elevation (r = 0.35), while structural attributes such as tree height (r = 0.33) and wood density (r = 0.34) further shape ecosystem capacity. To strengthen environmental management, biocapacity assessments should be integrated into policy and conservation planning frameworks for sustainable resource allocation. As climate change alters temperature and salinity regimes, proactive mitigation strategies, ecosystem-based adaptation, and sustainable management practices are essential for maintaining ecological balance, reducing biodiversity loss, and ensuring the stability of mangrove ecosystem services.

Details

Title: Drivers of biocapacity and global impact of the world's largest mangrove in ecological footprint accounting
Authors: Md Rezaul Karim (Corresponding Author) - University of Toronto
Md. Shamim Reza Saimun - Shahjalal University of Science and Technology
Hossain Mahmud Sammi - Shahjalal University of Science and Technology
Ariful Khan - Shahjalal University of Science and Technology
Md. Sahinur Islam Fahim - Shahjalal University of Science and Technology
Fahmida Sultana - Shahjalal University of Science and Technology
Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Pallab Mozumder - Florida International University
Daniel A. Friess - Tulane University
Sharif A Mukul - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Mohammad A S Arfin-Khan (Corresponding Author) - Shahjalal University of Science and Technology
Publication details: Journal of Environmental Management, Vol.395, pp.1-12
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date published: 2025
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127815
ISSN: 1095-8630
PMID: 41172828
Data Availability: Data will be made available on request.
Grants: Protecting ecosystems and livelihoods of the Sundarbans, a World Heritage Site: Assessing the impact of natural hazards on forest-based ecosystem services, 0980026428, Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (Japan, Kobe) - APN
Grant note: Sharif A. Mukul was supported by a grant from the National Geographic Society, USA (Grant reference number: NGS-78528R-22) and the British Ecological Society, UK (Grant reference number: BES LRB20-1006); and Mohammed A. S. Arfin-Khan was supported by three grants from the SUST Research Center, Bangladesh (Grant reference numbers: FES/2021/2/04, FES/2022/1/09, and FES/2023/2/01).
Organisation Unit: Tropical Forests and People Research Centre; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Sustainability Research Cluster
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991175845902621
Output Type: Journal article

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