Freshwater aquaculture production has increased by 167% in Bangladesh between 2001 and 2017, surpassing fish production from natural open water bodies during this period. However, studies have shown that such dramatic growth in agricultural production can alter the earth's potential to generate goods and services in the long run by pushing certain planetary boundaries and disproportionately hurting people who are directly dependent on ecosystem services for livelihoods in the short run and all of mankind in the long run. This research analyzes the growth of freshwater aquaculture in Bangladesh from three perspectives, through three papers. The first paper explores the question of why fish farmers have been motivated to come into aquaculture and expand fish farming. Based on qualitative case studies and focus group discussions in Mymensingh district, a major region of freshwater aquaculture growth in Bangladesh, the study shows that high profitability of aquaculture for more than two decades since the 1990s has motivated people to engage in fish farming. The second paper builds a system dynamics model of land conversion from crop production to aquaculture that simulates future trends in land conversion and food production. The objective of this study is to analyze the dynamics of crop land conversion to aquaculture over time, and understand what key variables are influencing the transformation process. The model is parameterized at two geographical scales: for the entire country and for Mymensingh district. The results show that fish yield, prices, and concentration of supporting industries are some of the key factors that are influencing the growth of aquaculture. This study also observed that although rice land is being converted for aquaculture and other purposes, there is no imminent threat from aquaculture to rice production, as the decline in rice land is being off-set by the growth in rice yields over the last few decades. The third paper embeds water use models in the land use change system dynamics model built in the second paper, in order to understand whether aquaculture growth in Bangladesh is changing water productivity by substituting for irrigated rice production, and how aquaculture growth is impacting groundwater use quantity. The results show that water productivity combining both rice and fish production is generally increasing, both in the case of Mymensingh, and Bangladesh. However, the total volume of water use combining both rice and fish production is increasing in the high aquaculture concentration region of Mymensingh, but decreasing in the country overall. Overall, the research shows that aquaculture growth in Bangladesh has a positive impact on food supply, but continued success of this growth depends on prices and yields continuing to move in a favorable direction. Also, future development of aquaculture needs to focus on groundwater saving technologies, in order to ensure that groundwater extraction does not exceed safe yields in the long run.

This book focuses on the transformation of Bangladesh in respect to its people, geography, economy and environment. The authors discuss current problems such as vulnerability caused by environmental degradation in Bangladesh but also opportunities of this rapidly changing country. The book explains how the country is rapidly transforming from a rural subsistence agrarian based economic system to a new economic partner contributing to global processes. Bangladesh is presented as an example for the changes in the Global South, where a mismatch is often observed in linking resources and activities with environmental sustainability, possibly due to insufficient base-line knowledge. As faster growth is marginalizing resources to increase the GDP, the sustainability of resource exploitation is being questioned. The authors describe the vulnerable situation caused by possible sea-level rise, soil degradation, biodiversity loss, climate extremities, urbanization, and population displacement. This volume offers comprehensive knowledge about the geography and environment of Bangladesh and aims to help readers further investigate the issues and work on solutions. The book appeals to academics, professionals and students at all levels interested in Bangladesh as well as environmental problems and geographical issues in a rapidly transforming country.

This book provides a wide range of studies on methods of assessing natural disaster risks and reducing those risks in the context of land use. A major benefit of the book is that it presents extensive research and practices from interdisciplinary perspectives through case studies of land use management against various natural disasters. The natural hazards include earthquakes, tsunami, floods, and other disasters, with case studies ranging from urban areas to areas with natural environments such as mountains, coasts, and river systems. By quantitative and qualitative analysis, this work illustrates how interactions between natural and human environments create natural disasters, and how disaster risks can be managed or reduced through methods related to land use. This book also covers a variety of challenges in land use management with sample cases from Asia as well as the United States and Europe. The main purpose is to provide greater insight into studies of natural disaster risks from the perspective of land use and the possibility of non-engineering methods to reduce those risks. This goal can be achieved through management of land use against various natural hazards in diverse environments.

This book discusses the impact of climate change, land use and land cover, and socio-economic dynamics on landslides in Asian countries. Scholars recently have brought about a shift in their focus regarding triggering factors for landslides, from rainfall or earthquake to claiming rapid urbanization, extreme population pressure, improper land use planning, illegal hill cutting for settlements and indiscriminate deforestation. This suggests that the occurrence or probabilities of landslides are shaped by both climate-related and non-climate-related anthropogenic factors. Among these issues, land use and land cover change or improper land use planning is one of the key factors. Further climate change shapes the rainfall pattern and intensity in different parts of the world, and consequently rainfall-triggered landslides have increased. These changes cause socio-economic changes. Conversely, socio-economic and lifestyle changes enhance inappropriate land use and climate change. All these changes in land use, climate and socio-economic aspects are dynamics in nature and shape landslide risks in Asian countries, where they are given serious attention by governments, disaster management professionals, researchers and academicians. This book comprises 21 chapters divided into three major sections highlighting the effect of climate change on landslide incidence with the influence on vegetation and socio-economic aspects. The sections address how climate change and extreme events have triggered landslides. The advances in geospatial techniques with the focus on land use and land cover change along with the effect on socio-economic aspects are also explored.

This book aims to systematically elaborate how land-use change directly or indirectly exerts impacts on the ability of ecosystems to provide services for human society. The relationship between land use, ecosystem services and human well-being is a hot topic, and there have been some important achievements in this field, but its continuing growth means that it warrants further research. The unique viewpoint, the scientific analysis methods and the precise language of this book make it not only a valuable guide for professors conducting research, but also a reference resource to help governments make decisions on relevant policies. Prof. Jinyan Zhan is an associate professor at the School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, China.