Stakeholder Management
The Sundarbans Resilience Project (SRP) in Bangladesh shows a clear distinction between those who hold influence and those who benefit most. The highest influence lies with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Forest Department, and international donors, as they control funding, regulations, and strategic direction.
However, the primary beneficiaries are local communities, particularly fisherfolk, forest-dependent households, women’s groups, and marginalized populations, who gain improved livelihoods, disaster protection, and ecological stability.
Government agencies provide regulatory authority and legitimacy, NGOs facilitate community engagement, researchers supply technical evidence, and communities contribute local knowledge and labor. While the project depends on collaboration, authority remains unevenly distributed.
Power imbalances exist because communities face the greatest risks but hold the least formal decision-making authority. Donor priorities and government dominance may also shape outcomes. Power was assessed based on control of resources, legal authority, decision-making capacity, social legitimacy, and dependency levels.
Overall, the SRP illustrates that climate adaptation requires balancing institutional power with meaningful community participation to ensure equitable and sustainable resilience outcomes.