Ecological Imbalance and Inclusive Tourism Development in Mousuni Island, Sundarban, West Bengal: The Role of Climate Variability, Groundwater Contamination, and Communication Inequality

Mousuni Island, located in the Sundarban delta of West Bengal, India, is increasingly vulnerable to climate variability, coastal erosion, groundwater salinization, and unregulated tourism development. Recurrent cyclones, tidal inundation, and embankment failures have intensified ecological degradation, threatening local livelihoods, freshwater availability, and community resilience. Simultaneously, the expansion of coastal camp tourism has created alternative income opportunities while increasing pressure on fragile beach ecosystems, sand dunes, groundwater resources, and waste management systems. These environmental challenges are further compounded by communication inequality, which restricts marginalized communities’ access to timely disaster warnings, climate information, and participatory decision-making. This study adopts an exploratory mixed-method approach incorporating household surveys, field observations, beach profiling, groundwater assessments, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews to examine the interconnections between ecological imbalance, tourism expansion, water insecurity, and social exclusion. The findings highlight the interconnected nature of environmental degradation and socioeconomic vulnerability, emphasizing the need for climate-resilient infrastructure, sustainable tourism regulation, community-based ecotourism, decentralized water and waste management, and inclusive communication networks. The study recommends an integrated, community-centred development framework that balances environmental conservation, livelihood security, and social equity to strengthen the long-term resilience of Mousuni Island.