Land scarcity and land access in a hazard‐prone island: Sagar, Indian Sundarbans

Abstract

The analytical inseparability of natural environment and society is reiterated by the findings of this study which contributes to a genre of studies that centre‐stages the socio‐ecological system. This study seeks to understand the interplay of state‐related and other modes of securing property rights in the context of pervasive coastal hazards through a case study from the Indian Sundarbans region (Sagar Island in West Bengal). This paper also contributes to research pertaining to slow‐onset disasters and attempts to examine emerging dimensions of land scarcity as well as diverse modes of access to land in the context of progressive ecological vulnerability. The analysis highlights the varying shades of declining land access and investigates how existing land policies and disaster management mechanisms remain far from extending security to communities experiencing environmental crisis. The paper thereby examines how community and state agencies adopting means to allocate property may in fact refute legality and perpetuate informality.