Abstract

The present paper is a review to describe the causes of major changes in land use pattern of the coastal zone of Bangladesh and identify the effects on the environmental degradation obviously considered as a man-made disaster in the area. The paper shows that the way of using the lands in the coastal areas are gradually changing, that is, diverse, competitive and alarming. The land use of coastal areas is used in different purposes. This includes: Agriculture, shrimp farming, salt production, forestry, ship-breaking yards, ports, industry, settlements, wetlands etc. The study reveals that land use in this area in1950 had been mainly used for paddy cultivation, but due to human interferences, the natural drainage systems are greatly hampered and gradually salinity intrusion polluted the water, soil etc in the area. Finally, the paper highlights the suggestive measures to address the problems in coastal land management.

Key words: Erosion, land use change, man-made disaster, water logging, ecosystem.