500,000 Mangroves for the Sundarbans: EARTHDAY.ORG and Partners Launch a Five-Year Initiative

EARTHDAY.ORG, Envision Energy India, and Envision Racing have launched a five-year initiative to plant 500,000 mangrove trees in degraded areas of the Indian Sundarbans in West Bengal. The partnership will also support 18,000 women and 10,000 families through programs addressing health, nutrition, and sanitation. Education initiatives will form another part of the five-year effort.

The restoration forms part of EARTHDAY.ORG’s Canopy Project and Envision Energy India’s corporate social responsibility initiative. Envision Racing will contribute through its Sustainable Chain program, which encourages Formula E fans to make personal commitments to reduce their emissions and provides participants with updates about supported restoration projects.

Restoring the Indian Sundarbans

The Indian Sundarbans includes 102 islands, of which 54 are inhabited and 48 are forested. Approximately 4.5 million people live across the region, where rising seas and frequent cyclones place coastal communities under growing pressure. More than 3,500 kilometers of ring embankments protect inhabited islands from tidal flooding, revealing the scale of the region’s exposure to coastal hazards.

The five-year program will restore degraded parts of the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest through nursery development, site preparation, and seasonal planting. Nursery work and pre-planting land preparation have already begun, with planting scheduled from March through November. Mangrove species will be selected according to the elevation and soil type of each site, linking planting decisions directly to local conditions.

These preparations mark the first stages of a restoration effort that will continue across several planting seasons. The combination of nursery development and site assessment will provide the planting material and prepared ground needed to carry the initiative forward over five years.

Community at the Center

Community participation is built into the restoration plan and the programs accompanying it. Trained project monitors and local scientists will support implementation with guidance from forestry officials. Village councils will participate alongside local residents and students, bringing community institutions into the restoration effort.

Community education will explain how mangroves affect fisheries and agriculture, connecting restoration with local sources of food and income. These activities are intended to improve tree survival and support the long-term success of restored areas.

The partnership’s community programs will address health, nutrition, and sanitation across participating communities. Education programs will provide another form of support during the five-year initiative. These commitments respond to conditions affecting parts of the Sundarbans, where some communities have limited access to freshwater, schools, and employment.

The partners also identify mangrove planting as a source of income for local workers. This opportunity may be especially important for widows experiencing severe economic and social vulnerability, a group highlighted in the partnership announcement.

Growing a Global Canopy

The Sundarbans initiative joins a wider network of community-centered restoration efforts supported through EARTHDAY.ORG’s Canopy Tree Project. Across Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania, Morocco’s M’Goun Valley, and Cape Town in South Africa, these projects restore degraded landscapes in ways that respond to local environmental conditions and community needs. The network also includes work in Mexico’s Sierra Gorda, Uganda’s Mount Elgon, between Madagascar’s Kianjavato and Vatovavy regions, and Bangladesh’s Khulna district.

Each initiative uses locally appropriate trees to address challenges such as deforestation, erosion, and climate vulnerability. Fruit-bearing trees can support food security and household income, and mangroves can strengthen coastal protection and fisheries. The Sundarbans initiative extends this approach to West Bengal by combining mangrove restoration with community participation, environmental education, and social support.

Engage with us and learn more about the Sundarbans initiative and explore EARTHDAY.ORG’s restoration work around the world through Canopy Tree Project.