SAIME Initiative

Context

• A new initiative of sustainable shrimp cultivation provides hope for mangrove restoration in Sundarbans.

About

• SAIME is a community-based pilot project in West Bengal under which farmers are planting mangrove trees around shrimp ponds.
• The initiative — started in 2019 — has established a collaborative ecosystem integrating several key stakeholders from government departments, academia, and research institutes for co-creation and comprehensive advancement of this project.
  • It is conceived by NEWS and Global Nature Fund (GNF), Naturland Bangladesh Environment and Development Society (BEDS).
• Experts have expressed concerns over unsustainable aquaculture, particularly shrimp collection, after cleaning large tracts of mangrove forests in Sunderbans.

Source: TH