**1. Introduction**

Land degradation is an urgent environmental issue in many countries. Frequent changes in land-use pattern and soil salinity have contributed to land degradation in the coastal area of Bangladesh. This chapter is intended to unfold the scenario of land-use pattern changed over a long period in the South-West coastal area of Bangladesh and how it influenced the soil salinity by practicing shrimp farming. In addition, this chapter describes the ecological and socioeconomic conditions of the area in response to those changes. Furthermore, it includes some policy recommendations and management approaches to maintain productive agriculture in the area.

### **2. Land use and land cover (LULC)**

Land-use refers to how people are using the land, for example, settlement, agriculture, mining, etc., whereas land cover refers to the surface cover on the ground, such as forest, vegetation, open water, bare soil, etc. Land-use includes the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into manufactured environment, for example, settlements and seminatural habitats like productive fields, pastures, and managed woods.
