D4.1 Review of Environmental Models - SEAT Global

2.3.4. Example 4 : Mangroves and aquaculture, Bangladesh
Salam, (2000), Salam and Ross (1999,2000) and Salam et al (2003) investigated management
scenarios for coastal development in the Khulna area of Southwestern Bangladesh which
includes the Sunderbans mangrove forest, a coastal belt, part of the Bay of Bengal and
several major rivers and their tributaries. They developed a series of GIS models in order to
identify and prioritise the most suitable areas for brackish water shrimp and crab farming.
Using qualitative and quantitative output from the models, Multi-Objective Land Allocation
was used, based on gross production, economic output and employment potential, to
compare and trade-off relative benefits from such developments and to consider their
economic and social impact. Comparisons were made of brackish water shrimp and crab
culture with moderately saline tolerant tilapia and prawn culture, fresh water carp culture
and traditional rice production systems. Shrimp was identified as the most capital intensive
and risky production system. The trade-offs between tilapia/carp and shrimp/crab cultures
are shown in Fig.2.4.
Figure. 2.4: Resolving the trade-off between the uses of land in south west Bangladesh for
agriculture, Penaeus culture and crab culture using Multi-Objective Land Allocation tools.
(after Salam, 2000).
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