Hoping to return? Migration and ecological balance in the Sundarbans

Climate change has transformed the landscape of the Sundarbans in India and led to grave concerns regarding the ecology of the region and the prospects of those who stay there. This paper studies whether permanent evacuation is the optimal coping strategy, from the point of view of both the inhabitants as well as the environment, in the Sundarbans, to inform the broader debate on climate induced migration worldwide. Results show that while migration leads to a deterioration of the ecological balance by 1% in the region, it also has a positive impact on the level of hopefulness experienced by low-income migrants. However, the majority of migrants express a desire to return to their native place, regardless of income groups. The results speak to the importance of making scientific advances in effective coping strategies in the face of the growing scale of climatic disasters, such that migration is a voluntary choice rather than a compulsion.