SPIRITUAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIAL MOBILIZATION: A NARRATIVE REVIEW OF FAITH-BASED ENVIRONMENTALISM IN BANGLADESH

Bangladesh’s acute ecological vulnerability, coupled with socio-economic constraints, has positioned faith-based actors as influential yet underexplored stakeholders in environmental governance. This narrative review synthesizes interdisciplinary literature from 2018 to 2025 to examine how spiritual ethics and community mobilization intersect in fostering ecological stewardship. The study pursues two primary objectives: first, to analyze theological foundations shaping environmental ethics within Islamic, Hindu, and Buddhist traditions; second, to investigate mechanisms through which religious leaders mobilize communities for climate resilience, with gender dynamics treated as a cross-cutting dimension. Employing a qualitative synthesis approach, the review organizes evidence into thematic domains encompassing theology, mobilization, gender, and governance. Findings indicate that doctrines such as Khilafah and Amanah in Islam, Prakriti in Hinduism, and Ahimsa in Buddhism frame environmental care as a spiritual obligation. Religious institutions emerge as hubs for ecological education and grassroots activism, leveraging moral authority to influence behavioral change. Gender-inclusive initiatives enhance social equity and broaden participation, yet persistent challenges such as resource limitations, epistemic gaps, and institutional fragmentation constrain scalability. The review concludes that faith-based environmentalism offers culturally embedded pathways for sustainability and climate adaptation, necessitating capacity-building, interdisciplinary collaboration, and policy integration. These insights contribute to global discourses on religion and ecology, underscoring the transformative potential of spiritual narratives in advancing sustainable development within climate-stressed contexts.