With the support of our dedicated community of donors, we’ve reached our fundraising goal for our new project in East Khejuria Village, Bangladesh! Thanks in large part to the donations from several members of our board, plus a generous contribution from the Nu Skin Force For Good Foundation, in the past month we’ve exceeded our $25,000 crowdfunding goal.

The Sundarbans is the world’s largest mangrove forest. Formed by the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna Rivers, these expansive wetlands straddle the coasts of India and Bangladesh, covering nearly 4,000 square miles. This area is home to a wide diversity of wildlife, including two species of endangered freshwater dolphins: the snub-nosed, friendly-looking Irrawaddy dolphin; and the long-snouted, toothy Ganges River dolphin.

In an area of intense poverty, devastating floods, and difficult livelihoods, many people in the Sundarbans have turned to destructive and illegal fishing methods, including using poison and fine-mesh nets, which pose a risk to dolphins and other wildlife. Although the government has set up a dolphin sanctuary in the Dhangmari River, on which East Khejuria Village is located, the rules are often poorly explained and enforced.

Our project, in partnership with the Bangladesh Environment and Development Society (BEDS), works with members of East Khejuria’s fishing community to monitor the marine reserve and ensure that the rules are being followed. In exchange for this commitment to conservation, Seacology is funding critically needed improvements for the village, including:

• Training community members to patrol the 840-acre dolphin sanctuary.
• Helping 50 households sustainably produce food by growing vegetables and fish.
• Helping 100 more households produce and market mangrove-based honey, pickles, molasses, and tea.
• Giving 100 households solar lights and improved cooking stoves, to reduce the need to cut mangroves for fuel.
• Installing a water purification and storage system to filter brackish groundwater.
• Conducting outreach to help the community fish responsibly.

BEDS, which is directly implementing many of these improvements, has a close relationship with the village residents. The organization was established to solve complex environmental and social problems in Bangladesh alongside local people by respecting indigenous knowledge and culture, and has received an Equator Prize from the United Nations for the conservation work they’ve done in the Sundarbans. 

“We would like to support the community,” says Md. Maksudur Rahman, Chief Executive of BEDS. “We would like to increase their knowledge on conservation so they can contribute to protect their own ecosystem. The local people, they are the key actor[s].”

Check out this cute short video by TurtleTunes about Irrawaddy dolphins!