In Bangladesh, the Government, along with International financial and multinational organisations specialised in fish farming such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), promoted and introduced shrimp farming as a commercial activity that can raise the economic status of the country. Shrimp industry became the second largest foreign currency earner after garment production. However, the increase in shrimp aquaculture farms, which has resulted in the destruction of entire natural ecosystems and local economies based on agriculture and fishing, faces opposition from local communities and environmental organisations. As for instance, the salinisation of the soils decreases the fertility of the agricultural lands and it also provokes health problems among the population. The Environmental Justice Foundation, based in London, has also been denouncing for years the poor working conditions of the shrimp farms’ operatives. Still the trend in favor of this industry remains sustained by the collaboration between Bangladesh authorities and international organizations. In 2015, the Bangladesh Department of Fisheries together with the FAO announced a new project development of $ 38 million for increasing the saline water availability in shrimp enclosures « in Khulna, Satkhira, Bagerhat and Cox's Bazar districts ». |
The increase and the intensification of shrimp farming along the Bangladesh coast remains on the governmental agenda in spite of the industry's verified and denounced environmental and social costs
| Name of conflict: | Shrimp farming, Bangladesh |
| Country: | Bangladesh |
| State or province: | Chittagong Division, Khulna district |
| Accuracy of location | HIGH (Local level) |
| Project details | An annual production of 58,000 tons and a 10.8 million people work force. |
| Type of population | Rural |
| Start of the conflict: | 1988 |
| Company names or state enterprises: | Local investors |
| Relevant government actors: | USAID - USA, Bangladesh Department of Fisheries |
| International and Finance Institutions | The World Bank (WB) from United States of America Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Asian Development Bank (ADB) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) from United States of America |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | Karunamoyee Martyr - Observance Committee Day, Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) - UK, MAP - Thailand, Solidarity Center - USA, Farming Community of the 'Shrimp Region', Nijera Kori, Asia Solidarity Against Industrial Aquaculture |
| Intensity | HIGH (widespread, mass mobilization, violence, arrests, etc...) |
| Reaction stage | In REACTION to the implementation (during construction or operation) |
| Groups mobilizing: | Farmers Indigenous groups or traditional communities Informal workers International ejos Local ejos Local government/political parties Neighbours/citizens/communities Social movements Fisher people |
| Forms of mobilization: | Community-based participative research (popular epidemiology studies, etc..) Creation of alternative reports/knowledge Development of a network/collective action Involvement of national and international NGOs Lawsuits, court cases, judicial activism Media based activism/alternative media Public campaigns Street protest/marches |
| Environmental Impacts | Visible: Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Food insecurity (crop damage), Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Soil contamination, Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water (physico-chemical, biological) quality, Groundwater pollution or depletion Potential: Air pollution, Floods (river, coastal, mudflow), Genetic contamination, Global warming, Noise pollution, Soil erosion, Waste overflow, Large-scale disturbance of hydro and geological systems |
| Other Environmental impacts | salinisation of water, mangroves' disappearance |
| Health Impacts | Visible: Violence related health impacts (homicides, rape, etc..), Occupational disease and accidents, Deaths Potential: Exposure to unknown or uncertain complex risks (radiation, etc…), Malnutrition, Mental problems including stress, depression and suicide |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Visible: Displacement, Increase in violence and crime, Loss of livelihood, Loss of traditional knowledge/practices/cultures, Militarization and increased police presence, Violations of human rights, Land dispossession, Loss of landscape/sense of place, Lack of work security, labour absenteeism, firings, unemployment, Other socio-economic impacts |
| Other socio-economic impacts | child labor |
| Project Status | In operation |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Compensation Institutional changes Court decision (victory for environmental justice) Migration/displacement |
| Proposal and development of alternatives: | The stop of the shrimp farming and the restoration of the area, giving back the lands to their initial owners. |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | No |
| Briefly explain: | The shrimp farming is still the main economic activity in Bangladesh. Although the Government enacted a law, in September 2000, prohibiting the indiscriminate collection of shrimp larvae, illegal collection in rivers and coastal areas of the country continues every year. |
| References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries |
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| Related media links to videos, campaigns, social network |
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| Contributor: | Lucie Greyl |
| Last update | 18/08/2019 |
| Conflict ID: | 454 |