ECOBASProject

EcologicalengineeredforCoastalprotectionandFoodProductioninBangladesh

PartnerInstitutions
IMARESWageningenUR,TheNetherlands
InstituteofMarineSciencesandFisheries,UniversityofChittagong,Bangladesh
LEI(AgriculturalEconomicsResearchInstitute),TheHague
RoyalHaskoningDHV,TheNetherlands

SpecialGrantfrom
TheEmbassyoftheKingdomoftheNetherlands,Dhaka.

BangladeshProjectTeam
MShahadatHossain,SayedurRChowdhury,SMSharifuzzaman
InstituteofMarineSciencesandFisheries
UniversityofChittagong,Chittagong4331,Bangladesh
http://imsfcu.ac.bd

ResearchAssistants
MdRoyhanurIslam,AvijitTalukder,ShubhaSarker,RazatSuvroDas,andMilonKumar
Sheuli

SpecialAssistancegivenby
JainalAbedinandMdSakibulIslam

DutchSpecialists
ArjoRothius,AddSmaal,TomYsebaert,MarijnTangelder,FrederiekeAnnaDoorn,Au
gustinusJosephReinhard,ShahNawazChowdhury

ECOBAS,November2014
Unlessotherwiseexplicitlymentioned,allphotographsandillustrationsusedinthismono
grapharetaken/createdduringtheECOBASprojectactivitiesandarecopyrightedmaterialsof
theECOBASproject.Reproductioninanyformwillrequirewrittenpermission

OUTLINE

1.Introduction

1.1Ecoengineering:fromconceptstoapplications

1.2Thegeneralobjectives
2.Trendsintropicalcyclones/depressionsinBangladesh
3.ErosionintheKutubdiaIsland
4.Thepilotproject
4.1Oysterreefdesign
4.2Spat(youngoysters)settlementandgrowth
4.3Shorelineaccretion
4.4Foodandincome
4.5Biodiversityandhabitat
5.Theoutcomesandimpact
6.Futuredirections

1.Introduction
Thelowlying,denselypopulatedcoastal
areas of Bangladesh are under great threat
due to increasing risk of stormsurge flood
ing and future sealevel rise. Every year,
about 3070% of the country is normally
flooded,andalsolandlossesduetoerosion
is a chronic problem in many coastal areas
and offshore islands, such as the Kutubdia,
Sandwip, etc. Traditional engineering ap
proach, for example, to achieve longterm
protectionand/orcurberosionwithearthen
dikesisneitherresilientnorsustainable,and
oftensuboptimalwithrespecttootherfunc
tions and even resulted in negative or un
foreseen impacts on local ecology. Instead,
a combination of existing methods and
strategiesaregainingimportance,especially
in developing countries, to promote more
resilient solutions that are robust, sustain

able,adaptable,multifunctionalandyeteco
nomicallyfeasible,asillustratedinfigure1.

1.1Ecoengineering:fromconceptstoapplica
tions
Ecoengineering or the socalled Building
with Nature, also often referred to Living
Shoreline, is a novel softengineering ap
proach that combines with existing coastal
defence structures for protecting coastal
areas and communities from erosion, and
enhancing the natural defense of the coast
usinglivingorganisms,atthesametimepro
vidingvariousecosystemservicesandprod
ucts to people. One method of eco
engineering is known for decades, i.e. the
green belt or shields of mangroves, how
ever, newer methods are emerging, for ex
ample, protecting the coast and enhancing
shoreline accretion by building oyster reef
(Figure2).Anoysterreefprotectsshorelines
quite in a different way than the mangrove
does.Ithelpsdampenthewaveandcurrent
energy, which are the most prominent
causes of erosion in coastal areas, and trap
sediment.Livingoysterreefsgrowwithtime
and selfrepair any damage, and therefore,
they require almost no maintenance. Fur
thermore, oyster reefs provide shelter for
many marine organisms like a coral reef
does,deliveringsimilarbiodiversityandpro
tection benefits, in addition to providing
food(e.g.crab,shrimp,fish,oysterandmus
sels) to local communities. The possibilities
of ecoengineering approach are not just
limited to mangroves or oyster reefs, other
viable living organisms (such as marsh
grasses,mussels,etc.)andavarietyoftheir
combinationscanbeusedtoprotectcoasts,
enhance accretion, conserve biodiversity
andprovidelivelihoodforcommunities.

Figure1.Theinteractionsofsociety,ecosystems
andengineeringinresponsetonaturaldisasters
andclimatechange,andtheoverlappingareas
illustrateopportunitiesforcombinedadaptation
andresiliencestrategiesforcoastalareas(source:
Cheongetal.2013)

Figure2.Anillustrateddiagramofoysterreefsonamudflat.Theselfrenewingoysterreefscancontributeto
thedevelopmentofsaltmarshesandmangroves,andsustainablecoastaldefencewithincreasedaccretion
andstabilityofintertidalflats(acknowledgement,MdSakibulIslam)

Incidentally, for the first time, the con

cept ofecoengineering has been tested on
a pilot scale in the erosion prone offshore
island of Kutubdia, Bangladesh under the
project ECOBAS (Ecoengineered coastal
defenceintegratedwithsustainableaquatic
food production in Bangladesh). This pilot
project was/is implemented by the Institute
ofMarineSciencesandFisheries(University
of Chittagong, Bangladesh), together with
scientistsfromIMARES(InstituteforMarine
Resources & Ecosystem Studies) and LEI
(Agricultural Economics Research Institute)
of Wageningen University and engineering
firmRoyalHaskoningDHV,theNetherlands.
TheECOBASprojectisfinancedbytheDutch
Partners for Water Programme and the

Royal Netherlands Embassy in Bangladesh.

Figure 3, shows a photograph of the mem
bersofECOBASteam.

Figure3.TheteammembersofECOBASattheex
perimentsite,theKutubdiaIslandofBangladesh

1.2Thegeneralobjectives
To provide coastal managers of Bangla
desh with an alternative solution of coastal
protection for extreme events and climate
change adaptation, by using the natural re
sistance of oysters against hydrodynamic
forces in order to protect the coast from
erosion and flooding, and at the same time
deliver a source of aquatic food that could
be used by local communities for food and
livelihood.

2.Trendsintropicalcyclones/depressionsin
Bangladesh
Heat condition of the ocean in the form
of sea surface temperature (SST) is one of
themostimportantvariablesusedinclimate
change monitoring programs and is often
related to other variables such as sea level
changeandhurricaneintensity(Vinogradova
2009).Incidentally,BayofBengalisapoten
tially energetic region for the development
of cyclonic storms accounting for about 7%
of the global annual tropical cyclones with
twocycloneseasonsinayear(Yesubabuet
al. 2014). Chowdhury et al. (2012) reported
that night SST has been increased by 0.30
0.48C over 25 years, from 19852009 at a
rate between 0.0126C and 0.0203C per
year. It is revealed that early summer tem
peratureisdroppingatlowandmidlatitude
zones,whilethelatesummertemperatureis
rising quickly. Conversely, in other months
and at other latitude zones, SST is consis
tently rising at a rate of about 0.02C per
year.ThecycloneseasonsintheBayofBen
gal are likely to be prolonged as the cooler
monthscontinuedtobemuchwarmerthan
average. Moreover, as cooler high latitude
zones get warmer, cyclones will get larger
replenishmentareaforgainingheatenergy,
thusincreasingtheriskofcyclonesalongthe
coastofBangladesh.Thefrequencyoftropi
cal cyclones and probable linkage of in
creasedSSTisshowninfigure4.

Figure4.Longtermtrendsoftropicalcyclonesin
theBayofBengal(Chowdhuryetal.2012)

3.ErosionintheKutubdiaIsland
A geospatial assessment of the island's
geomorphological changes (Chowdhury,
unpublisheddata)revealthattheislandhas
shrunkfromits79km2in1950to68.5km2in

Figure5.Mapshowingerosionproneareasatthe
KutubdiaIslandofBangladesh(Courtesy:Chowd
hury,unpublished)

2009,thefastestrateoferosionbeingfeltin
the1990s.Theseverecycloneandaccompa
nyingstormsurgeof1991whichtoppedthe
islandcompletelyandliterallywashedaway
everythingonitspath,isprimarilyresponsi
blefortherapiderosionanddisappearance
of almost the entire southern tip of the is
land during this decade (Figure 5). Despite
localized accretions taking place in few ar
eastheislandremainsextremelyvulnerable
to further erosion facing sealevel rise and
enhanced storm activity in the Bay of Ben
gal.

4.Thepilotproject
ThefirstphaseofECOBASproject,from
AprilNovember 2012, primarily relating to
settlementofspats(youngoysters),andthe
abilityofoysterreefstogrowattheKutub
dia and Moheshkhali islands, has been posi
tive, i.e. the areas are suitable for natural
spatfall, and support favourable environ
mental conditions for oyster growth and
survival.However,thisstudywascarriedout
on a very small area using reefs made of
bamboo mattresses containing four differ

ent substrates (such as dead oyster shells,

living oysters, window pane shells and
stones) thatwere vulnerable todestruction
by hydrodynamic forces, in particular in the
monsoon season, and smothering of fine
sediments and silt on the substrates, suffo
catingtheoysters.Subsequently,inthesec
ond phase of the project (April 2013
November 2014), an experimental oyster
reef (45 m long) made of concrete at the
KutubdiaIslandwasputontheshore.

4.1Oysterreefdesign
For this, concrete ring structures were
constructed and installed along the coasts
of Kutubdia Island. The concrete reef was
elevated above the sediment level that can
serve as suitable substrate for oyster spat
settlement, and placed on the mudflat, in
front of an earthen embankment (Figure
6a,b).Thetechnicaldesignofthereefstruc
tures and their positioning on the mudflat
wereworkedoutbythescientistsandengi
neersofthepartneringinstitutionsinvolved
intheproject.

Figure6a.Thedesignofreefstructures

Figure6b.Manufacturingandinstallationofreef

4.2Spat(youngoysters)settlementand
growth
Spat settlement on the concrete rings
(Figure7),bothontheinneraswellasouter
side ofthe ring, was counted (spat/m2) and
expressedintotalspatonallrings.Thedata

showthatthereisrecruitmentallyearround
as every month the numbers of spats are
increasing(Figure8),whilethepeakrecruit
ment is noted in April/May and October/
November.
Formeasuringgrowthofspats,25rings

Figure7.Algalgrowth(topleft),settledoyster(topright),includingfoulingbarnacles(bottomleft)onthe
concreterings,andshowingaconfinedarea(redmarked,bottomright)thatsampledonregularintervals
tomeasuregrowthandsurvivabilityofspats

Figure8.Oysterspatdensities(count/m2)onthecon
cretering

Figure9.Thegrowthofoysterspats

out of 69 rings were selected. Spats were

randomly selected from specified zones
(Figure7,right)ontheinnerandouterrings,
and the shell length and width were meas
uredusing a digitalcaliper. Theselection of
spatswasrandom,therefore,itwasnotpos
sibletomonitorindividualgrowth,butactu
allymeasuredmeanspatsize(Figure9).
Ontheinnersideoftheringsmoreoys
ters were present than on the outer side.
Besides oysters, other species were also
present on the surface of the reef, i.e. non
target species (Figure 7). Barnacles were
abundantly present on the inner as well as
the outer side of the concrete rings. Also,
sea anemones and zones with green algae
were seen. Where algal cover is present,
there are no spats and barnacles observed,
althoughalgaewerenotpresentonallrings.
However, their abundant occurrence, espe
cially barnacles might limit available space
forsettlementofoysterlarvae.

4.3Shorelineaccretion
Formeasuringtheprofileofmudflat(or,
muddy shore), a simple equipment was de

veloped by the research team using cost

effective locally available materials
(Chowdhuryetal.2014).Theequipmentisa
typeofflexibleUtubemanometerthatuses
liquid columns in vertical tubes to measure
differencesinelevation,andthesupporting
frame is constructed from wooden poles
withbasedisks,whichholdmeasuringscales
and a PVC tube (Figure 10). This beach pro
filer was proven to be less time consuming
andeasytouseinthefield,operatedeither
by2personsorbyasingleperson.
The preliminary results confirmed an
enhanced sedimentation on the mudflat,
suggestingthatoysterreefshavethepoten
tialtoofferanexcellentformofcoastalpro
tection as sediment forms naturally behind
oyster reefs. This particular area is clearly
elevated compared to the area in the fore
groundandbackgroundofthephotograph,
and according to statistical analysis (Figure
11).
The main factor causing this less dy
namicareabehindthereefismostlikelythe
wavedampeningeffectofthereef.Accumu

Figure10.Anillustrationoflocallymadebeach/shoreprofilingequipment(left),andfieldmeasurementsare
carryingoutbytheequipment(right),sourceChowdhuryetal.2014

lationisseasonalasmudtendstoerodepri
marilyinthemonsoonseason.InJuly,there
isverylimitedfinesedimentdeposit.Onthe
other hand, more deposition of fine sedi
mentisobservedinOctober.However,over
time, oysters will build three dimensional
reef structures (i.e. oysters will grow and
attach themselves to one another, eventu

ally forming a hard reef structure) that will

even more effective in dissipating wave en
ergyandprotectingtheunderlyingsediment
from erosion. The successful outcome of
ecoengineering concept, in the long run,
will help to build a resilient coastal zone in
Bangladesh.

Figure11.Thevisibleelevatedareabehindthereefduringflood(top),andliftingofshoreelevationinthe
firstyearoftheexperiment,20132014(bottom)

4.4Foodandincome
There are also other benefits of oyster
reefs,suchasprovisionofaquaticfoodand
livelihoods for coastal residents. The reef
seems to give additional benefits as crabs
gettrappedintheringsduringlowtideand
are collected (Figure 12). Crabs are valuable
trades on the international market. While
oysters have had a reputation as a delicacy
for many centuries, only tribal community
livingincoastalareasconsumeoystersfrom
wildcatchesinBangladesh.Themeatofoys
ters is an excellent source of vitamins and
minerals, in particular, rich in zinc which is
known to promote brain development of
children. So, oyster reefs can deliver a

source of aquatic food (oysters) that at the

sametimecanimprovethenutrition,health
andwellbeingofhumans.Inaddition,itsup
ports productions of economically impor
tantfisheriesthatcancontributetothelive
lihoodsofcoastalcommunity.

4.5Biodiversityandhabitat
Between the mangrove saplings zone
and the concrete reef, there is a under de
veloped zone of salt marsh vegetation. By
an increased accretion and the stabilization
of tidal flats, as noted in this study, oyster
reefs could support the growth of essential
coastal, or near shore, vegetation like salt
marsh bed and create accreted zone for
mangroves. Altogether, they could form a
cascading protection zone (oyster reefs
saltmarshesmangroves)tominimizeero
sionoftheearthenembankment.Theother
ecological roles of oyster reefs include im
provement of water quality (i.e. remove ni
trogen from the water column, filter out
suspendedsolidsandlowersturbidity),pro
vidinghabitatfornumerousaquaticspecies,
enhancement of biodiversity, and contribu
tion to a healthier ecosystem with multiple
benefits and functions (Figure 13a,b). It is,
therefore, very much important to consider
theoysterreefinthisbroadercontext.

Figure12.Crabsgetstuckinthering(top),and
growingoysters(alsoanemones)onreefstructure
(bottom)

Figure13a.Ayoungmangrovesaplingbehindthe
reef

10

Figure13b.Gastropodandbivalvemolluscsbiodiversity

5.Theoutcomesandimpact
The preliminary results show that
oyster reefs are causing local sedimen
tation as predicted that can mitigate
shoreline erosion, whileenhancing fish
eries productivity and biodiversity by
creatingnewhabitats.Thevisibleconse
quenceswillbetheresiliencyofcoastal
community against erosion and flood
ing, improved food and nutrition secu
rity, diversified income generating op
tions and strengthened livelihoods. An
example of economic evaluation of an
oysterreefrestorationprojectisshown
infigure14.
SincetheclimaticconditionsinBang
ladesh are more extreme compared to
other parts of the world, it is expected
that, the ECOBAS project will generate
valuable information on the feasibility
ofthisnewtechniquetootherDeltasin
the developing world, such as in Viet
nam and Mozambique, as well as to a
furtherapplicationinBangladesh.

Figure14.Economicvaluationofanoysterreefrestoration
projectimplementedinthenorthernGulfofMexico
(source:Cheongetal.2013)\

11

6.Futuredirections
Pilot scale ECOBAS project, which was
startedinApril2013,willbefinancedbythe
donors until November 2014, but to realize
the full impact of artificial oyster reefs as
ecoengineeringtoolincoastalprotectionas
wellasvaluationofecosystemservicespro
vided,itisrequiredtomaintainthereefsfor
anextendedduration.
Generally, adult oysters can grow to
colonize a reef in 23 years, and the reefs
become living and selfsustainable struc
tures(i.e.supportalllifestages:settlement,
growth,andsurvival)andstabilizetidalflats

in about 810 years time. In a recent study,

scientists observed that oyster reefs can
grow fast enough than the most extreme
predictionsofsealevelrise(Rodriguezetal.
2014). Similarly, results derived from both
DEB (dynamic energy budget) and DORG
(dynamic oyster reef growth) models
showed a promising growth of oyster reefs
atKutubdiaIsland(theECOBASprojectloca
tion) that is even faster than sealevel rise
(Figure 15). This result is extremely encour
aging,therefore,ashorelinewithprotected
oyster reefs hold great promise in Bangla
desh.

Figure15.Thepredictionsofoystergrowth(length,cm)withtheDEBmodel(left),andoysterreefgrowth
rate(height,cmyr1)withtheDORGmodel(right)atECOBASsite,theKutubdiaIsland

References
Cheong SM, Silliman B, Wong PP, van Wesen
beeck B, Kim CK, Guannel G (2013) Coastal
adaptation with ecological engineering. Na
tureClimateChange3:787791.
ChowdhurySR,HossainMS,ShamsuddohaMand
KhanMMH(2012).CoastalFishers'Livelihood
inPeril:SeaSurfaceTemperatureandTropical
CyclonesinBangladesh.CPRD,Dhaka,Bangla
desh.54pp.
Chowdhury SR, Hossain MS, Sharifuzzaman SM
(2014)Asimpleandinexpensivemethodfor
muddy shore profiling. Chinese Journal of
OceanologyandLimnology32(6):13831391.
RodriguezAB,FodrieFJ,RidgeJT,LindquistNL,
TheuerkaufEJ,ColemanSE,GrabowskiJH,
BrodeurMC,GittmanRK,KellerDA,Kenwor

thyMD(2014)Oysterreefscanoutpacesea
levelrise.NatureClimateChange4:493497.
VinogradovaNT(2009).Integratedseasurface
temperatureproductswithinacoastalocean
observingsystem.
Yesubabu V, Srinivas CV, Prasad KBRRH, Rama
krishna SSVS (2014) Impact of variational
data assimilation for simulating tropical cy
clones over Bay of Bengal using WRFARW.
In:Mohantyetal.(eds),MonitoringandPre
diction of Tropical Cyclones in the Indian
OceanandClimateChange,SpringerNether
lands,pp.236245.

12