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Famous for the abode of notorious man eating Royal Bengal Tigers, Sundarbans is the largest delta formed by a number of islands where the River Ganga meets the Bay of Bengal. It is also the largest and one of the few existing mangrove eco-systems in the world and ise unlike any other tiger habitat in the world. Over time inhabitants of Sundarbans have evolved a unique lifestyle typical to the region. They are generally poor working hard from dawn to dusk to earn a living. Such rural societies are transforming rapidly as a result of ever increasing urban contact in the globalization era.

The book is based on the Ph.D. research work conducted by the first author in Sundarbans region in active collaboration with the second author. The book is an example of application of Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) in village studies. It also provides useful insights into the rural social life of Sundarbans a world heritage site where poverty back wardness and rich biodiversity para-doxically co-exist. Since PRA is the most preferred choice worldwide for a quick but in depth participatory research for understanding the complexities and diversities of rural life which so called conventional method of questionnaire survey fails to achieve the book significantly contributes to our knowledge and understanding of PRA and its application.