ACCESS4ALL Group

Most Influence - Primary Decision-Makers – particularly the Government of Bangladesh (Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change) and International Donors

Greatest Benefits - Local Communities

Contributions and Dependencies of Different Groups

Government Agencies:

Contribute through policy enforcement, funding allocation, and institutional support.

Depend on project success for achieving national climate adaptation targets and securing future international funding.

NGOs:

Contribute via grassroots mobilization, training, and advocacy.

Depend on donor funding and community trust to maintain their operational relevance.

Local Communities:

Contribute through labor, local knowledge, and participation in conservation.

Depend on the project for livelihood alternatives and disaster risk reduction.

Researchers:

Contribute through scientific data, monitoring, and evaluation.

Depend on access to the Sundarbans and project data for their studies.

Power Imbalances and Overlooked Voices

Power Imbalances:

Decision-making is concentrated among national and international actors, while local communities—though highly impacted—have limited formal authority. Women, youth, and indigenous or marginalized caste-like groups may be underrepresented in project planning.

Overlooked Voices:

Small-scale fishers and honey collectors whose livelihoods are most directly tied to mangrove health.

Women often bear disproportionate climate impacts but may lack platforms in community dialogues.

Local traditional knowledge holders may be sidelined in favor of technical, top-down solutions.

Risks to Success:

Without meaningful inclusion, projects may face low community adoption, local resistance, or unintended social inequities.

How Power and Influence Were Determined

Power and influence were assessed using:

Formal Authority: Legal mandates, regulatory control, and budgetary authority (e.g., government ministries, forest department).

Resource Control: Control over funding, technical assets, or infrastructure (e.g., donors, PMU).

Dependency and Leverage: Who depends on whom for project success (e.g., NGOs depend on donors; project depends on community participation).

Network and Advocacy Influence: Ability to mobilize public opinion or political support (e.g., NGOs, media).

Contextual Factors: In Bangladesh, international donors hold significant sway due to funding dependency, while local governments wield influence through implementation networks.