The Sundarbans, consisting of 10,200 km2 of mangrove forest across India and Bangladesh, is the world’s largest delta and mangrove ecosystem. Transected with rivers and creeks, the landscape is home to diverse and endangered flora and fauna, most famously the Royal Bengal Tiger. Because of its unique cosystem, the Sundarbans enjoy the status of a Biosphere Reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The area is also home to millions of forest-dependent people. The colonial period witnessed large-scale deforestation of the mangroves and in-migration, starting from the late eighteenth century, driven by the desire for more farmlands to generate revenue, development of a port township in Canning, and other factors. There was also a substantial inflow of refugees during partition at the time of India’s independence.

The unforeseen global pandemic of Covid-19 is having a long-term, hard-hitting impact on life and living, and lockdowns, fear, and uncertainty have been evoking different types of survival responses from different sections of people. Discussions abound on proper physical and emotional well-being, good governance, positivity, and humane support towards each other, from the family to global communities. At the same time, this pervasive crippling of humankind has also raised wide-spread consciousness and efforts towards responsible living, sustainability, resilience, happiness, creativity, and local action.