The Sundarbans is a protected forest ecosystem in Bangladesh. A large number of people depend on this forest for their livelihoods and income. Many farmers in the region are now adopting fish farming—specifically, aquasilviculture (multi-purpose production system that allows production of fish and perennial plants mostly trees), one of the most profitable agroforestry systems in many countries. The present study aimed to study the status, benefits, and farmers’ perceptions of and attitudes towards the practice of aquasilviculture in the periphery of the Sundarbans. It was conducted in the Shyamnagar upazilla (administrative district) in the southwestern part of Bangladesh, which is recognized as the most vulnerable upazilla on the coast. About 10% of the area’s shrimp farms were randomly selected and their farmers were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Most farmers (87%) had a positive attitude toward and clear perception of aquasilviculture practices. Farmers also perceived that trees helped increase their income and provide sources of fuelwood, timber, and fodder for their livestock. The respondents mainly preferred to plant Albizia procera, Acacia nilotica, Azadirachta indica, Psidium guajava, Excoecaria agallocha, and Avicennia officinalis on the dikes of fishponds. Farmers considered increased levels of salinity in water and soils, lack of access to capital, and inadequate technical assistance the main barriers to the practice of aquasilviculture in the region. Aquasilviculture could be an environmentally friendly and climate-smart aquaculture practice in the area, one that increases green coverage on fishponds’ dikes while also improving the livelihoods of local farmers.

Sundarbans是孟加拉国受保护的森林生态系统。许多人的生计和收入都依赖这个森林。该地区许多农民现在正在采用养鱼业，特别是水产养殖（多用途生产系统，允许生产鱼类和多年生植物，主要​​是树木），这是许多国家中最赚钱的农林业系统之一。本研究的目的是研究苏达邦外围地区水产养殖的现状，利益以及农民对水产养殖实践的看法和态度。它是在孟加拉国西南部的Shyamnagar upazilla（行政区）进行的，该地区被认为是沿海地区最脆弱的upazilla。随机选择了该地区约10％的虾类养殖场，并使用半结构化问卷调查了他们的养殖场。大多数农民（87％）对水产养殖的做法持积极态度，并对此有清晰的认识。农民还认为，树木有助于增加收入，并为家畜提供薪柴，木材和饲料。受访者主要喜欢种植合欢的Procera，金合欢，印楝，番石榴，海漆，和白骨厚朴对鱼塘的堤坝。农民认为，水和土壤盐分水平提高，缺乏获得资本的渠道以及技术援助不足是该地区水产养殖实践的主要障碍。水产养殖可能是该地区的一种环境友好型和气候智能型水产养殖做法，既可以增加鱼塘堤坝的绿化覆盖率，又可以改善当地农民的生计。