Ecosystem Services for Well-Being in Deltas: Integrated Assessment for Policy Analysis

This book answers key questions about environment, people and their shared future in deltas. It develops a systematic and holistic approach for policy-orientated analysis for the future of these regions. It does so by focusing on ecosystem services in the world’s largest, most populous and most iconic delta region, that of the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta in Bangladesh. The book covers the conceptual basis, research approaches and challenges, while also providing a methodology for integration across multiple disciplines, offering a potential prototype for assessments of deltas worldwide. Ecosystem Services for Well-Being in Deltas analyses changing ecosystem services in deltas; the health and well-being of people reliant on them; the continued central role of agriculture and fishing; and the implications of aquaculture in such environments.The analysis is brought together in an integrated and accessible way to examine the future of the Ganges Brahmaputra delta based on a near decade of research by a team of the world’s leading scientists on deltas and their human and environmental dimensions. This book is essential reading for students and academics within the fields of Environmental Geography, Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy focused on solving the world’s most critical challenges of balancing humans with their environments. This book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. .

Section 1: Research Highlights and Framework -- 1. Ecosystem Services, Well-Being and Deltas: Current Knowledge and Understanding; W. Neil Adger et al. -- 2. Ecosystem Services Linked to Livelihoods and Well-Being in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta; Helen Adams, W. Neil Adger and Robert J. Nicholls -- 3. An Integrated Approach Providing Scientific and Policy Relevant Insights for South-West Bangladesh; Robert J Nicholls et al. -- 4. Integrative Analysis for the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta, Bangladesh; Robert J Nicholls et al. -- Section 2: Present Status of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta -- 5. Recent Trends in Ecosystem Services in Coastal Bangladesh; John A Dearing and Sarwar Hossain -- 6. Governance of Ecosystem Services Across Scales in Bangladesh ; Andrew Allan and Michelle Lim -- 7. Health, Livelihood and Well-Being in the Coastal Delta of Bangladesh; Mofizur Rahman and Sate Ahmad -- 8. Floods and the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta; Anisul Haque and Robert J Nicholls -- Section 3: Scenarios for Policy Analysis -- 9. Integrating Science and Policy Using Stakeholder-Engaged Scenarios; Emily J Barbour et al. -- 10. Incorporating Stakeholder Perspectives in Scenario Development; Andrew Allan, Michelle Lim and Emily J Barbour -- 11. Regional Climate Change over South Asia; John Caesar and Tamara Janes -- 12. Future Scenarios of Economic Development; Alistair Hunt -- Section 4: Observations and Potential Trends -- 13. Biophysical Modelling of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna Catchment; Paul G Whitehead -- 14. Marine Dynamics and Productivity in the Bay of Bengal; Susan Kay, John Caesar and Tamara Janes -- 15. A Sustainable Future Supply of Fluvial Sediment for the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta; Stephen E Darby et al. -- 16. Present and Future Fluvial, Tidal and Storm Surge Flooding in Coastal Bangladesh; Anisul Haque, Susan Kay and Robert J Nicholls -- 17. Modelling Tidal River Salinity in Coastal Bangladesh; Lucy Bricheno and Judtih Wold -- 18. Mechanisms and Drivers of Soil Salinity in Coastal Bangladesh; Mashfiqus Salehin et al. -- 19. Population Dynamics in the South-West of Bangladesh; Sylvia Szabo, Sate Ahmad and W Neil Adger -- 20. Land Cover and Land Use Analysis in Coastal Bangladesh;Anirban Mukhopadhyay et al. -- 21. Social, Economic and Environmental Dimensions and Drivers of Poverty in South-West Coastal Bangladesh; Fiifi Amoako Johnson and Craig W Hutton -- 22. Defining Social-Ecological Systems in South-West Bangladesh; Helen Adams et al. -- 23. Characterising Associations Between Poverty and Ecosystem Services; Helen Adams et al. -- Section 5: Present and Future Ecosystem Services -- 24. Prospects for Agriculture under Climate Change and Soil Salinisation; Derek Clarke et al. -- 25. Marine Ecosystems and Fisheries: Trends and Prospect; Manuel Barange et al. -- 26. Dynamics of the Sundarbans Mangroves in Bangladesh Under Climate Change; Anirban Mukhopadhyay et al. -- 27. Hypertension and Malnutrition as Health Outcomes Related to Ecosystem Services; Ali Ahmed et al. Section 6: Integration and Dissemination -- 28. Integrative Analysis Spplying the Delta Dynamic Integrated Emulator Model in South-West Coastal Bangladesh; Attila N. Lázár et al. -- 29. Communicating Integrated Analysis Research Findings; Mashrekur Rahman and Munsur Rahman.