By Mohammad Raqibul Hasan Siddique and Mahmood Hossain

This Plain Language Summary is published in advance of the paper discussed. Please check back soon for a link to the full paper.

For generations, people living around the Sundarbans mangrove forest in Bangladesh have relied on a spiritual tradition centred on Bonbibi, a guardian figure that people believe protects those who enter the forest. Stories, rituals, and shared moral rules linked to Bonbibi helped guide how people harvested resources such as honey, fish, and crabs. For example, many collectors would only take from every other beehive to show respect and ensure the forest’s bounty would return. These traditions encouraged restraint, cooperation, and respect for the dangers of the mangrove.

In this study, we explored how these beliefs are changing and what this means for conservation. Between 2024 and 2025, we conducted interviews, group discussions, and field observations with forest-dependent communities living near the Sundarbans. We spoke with honey collectors, fishers, ritual specialists, and other local residents to understand how people think about the forest today.

We found that Bonbibi still holds cultural meaning for many forest users, particularly older generations. However, her role in guiding everyday behaviour in the forest is becoming weaker. Economic pressures, religious reform movements, education, and new livelihood aspirations among younger people are changing how people make decisions about forest use. Many forest users now frame their choices more in terms of income or risk rather than spiritual responsibility.

These changes do not mean that belief in Bonbibi has disappeared. Instead, the cultural systems that once helped regulate how people used forest resources are being reshaped. Our findings suggest that conservation policies need to pay attention not only to laws and enforcement but also to the cultural and moral frameworks through which communities understand nature. Working with these local traditions may help build more inclusive and effective approaches to conservation in culturally diverse landscapes like the Sundarbans.