A 1990 study noted that there "is no evidence that environmental degradation in the Himalayas or a 'greenhouse' induced rise in sea level have aggravated floods in Bangladesh"; however, a 2007 report by UNESCO, "Case Studies on Climate Change and World Heritage" has stated that an anthropogenic 45-centimetre (18 in) rise in sea level (likely by the end of the 21st century, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), combined with other forms of anthropogenic stress on the Sundarbans, could lead to the destruction of 75 percent of the Sundarbans mangroves. This is the only mangrove ecoregion that harbours the Indo-Pacific region's largest terrestrial predator, the Bengal tiger. It covers 14,600 square kilometres (5,600 sq mi) of the vast Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta, extending from the northern part of Khulna District and finishing at the mouth of the Bay of Bengal with scattered portions extending into India's West Bengal state. Ecology of Wildlife UNDP/FAO/BGD/85/011. The Sundarbans flora is characterised by the abundance of sundari (Heritiera fomes), gewa (Excoecaria agallocha), goran (Ceriops decandra) and keora (Sonneratia apetala) all of which occur prominently throughout the area. Jalais, Annu. Sundarbans West Wildlife Sanctuary is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Despite a total ban on all killing or capture of wildlife other than fish and some invertebrates, it appears that there is a consistent pattern of depleted biodiversity or loss of species (notably at least six mammals and one important reptile) in the 20th century, and that the "ecological quality of the original … Despite preservation commitments from both Governments, the Sunderbans are under threat from both natural and human-made causes. Katebi, M.N.A. The fauna of the sanctuary is very diverse with some 40 species of mammals, 260 species of birds and 35 species of reptiles. The sun set, and as the night sky was growing darker the trees along the waterway lit up, as if they were Christmas displays, blinking crazily. Many tracks could be seen, including those of big males and females with cubs, as well as tracks that were following behind deer and hog tracks, evidence of tigers stalking their next meal. The morphology and evolution of the eolian dunes is controlled by an abundance of xerophytic and halophytic plants. [55] Environmental activists contend that the proposed location of the Rampal Station would violate provisions of the Ramsar Convention. Many criminals took refuge in the Sundarbans from the advancing armies of Emperor Akbar. South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas districts. [63] The slick spread to a second river and a network of canals in the Sundarbans and blackened the shoreline. "Bonbibi: Bridging Worlds". It is estimated that there are now 180 Bengal tigers[31] and about 30,000 spotted deer in the area. There is evidently the greatest seasonal variation in salinity levels and possibly represents an area of relatively longer duration of moderate salinity where Gewa (Excoecaria agallocha) is the dominant woody species. Honey collectors are taken when they venture onto land to collect honey, often having to travel through waist-deep mud left exposed from the heavy tides. The fishermen who once caught the terrapins are now part of the team protecting them. Researches from the School of Oceanographic Studies, Jadavpur University, estimated the annual rise in sea level to be 8 millimetres (0.31 in) in 2010. The forest has immense protective and productive functions. Loss of the mangrove forest will result in the loss of the protective biological shield against cyclones and tsunamis. [54] This project violates the environmental impact assessment guidelines for coal-based thermal power plants. We are yet to locate any animals, and a second round of tracking will begin in early May. Regardless, there is still viable nesting habitat for the recovery program. During the Mughal period, the Mughal Emperors leased the forests of the Sundarbans to nearby residents. [75] Numerous documentary movies have been made about the Sunderbans, including the 2003 IMAX production Shining Bright about the Bengal tiger. The area provides the setting for several novels by Emilio Salgari, (e.g. The Sundarbans is celebrated through numerous Bengali folk songs and dances, often centred around the folk heroes, gods and goddesses specific to the Sunderbans (like Bonbibi and Dakshin Rai) and to the Lower Gangetic Delta (like Manasa and Chand Sadagar). Whenever we encountered fishermen, we would interview them and show them photos of the northern river terrapin, both males and females. A rare river turtle, hunted for its meat, has been brought back from the edge of extinction. In a study conducted in 2012, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) found out that the Sunderban coast was retreating up to 200 metres (660 ft) in a year. Part of the plot of Salman Rushdie's Booker Prize winning novel, Midnight's Children is set in the Sundarbans. Agricultural activities had destroyed around 17,179 hectares (42,450 acres) of mangroves within three decades (1975–2010). Two armed guards accompanied us on all of our excursions, and they never seemed comfortable or relaxed when we were searching beaches for signs of turtle nests or any other evidence that terrapins were present. Life in this region is as problematic for the people as it is for the wildlife, each trying... Terrapin in Trouble. [4], The Sundarbans mangrove forest covers an area of about 10,000 km2 (3,900 sq mi), of which forests in Bangladesh's Khulna Division extend over 6,017 km2 (2,323 sq mi) and in West Bengal, they extend over 4,260 km2 (1,640 sq mi) across the South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas districts. He asked Rupali Ghosh to conduct continuous … Decreasing Conservation Attention. The taking of fishermen off their small boats in the middle of the night is more common than you might think; in 2014, the year I was there, it was rumored two hundred people were taken in the tiger sanctuary (because people are not permitted in the sanctuary, no accurate records are available). From Roundglass Sustain: By Radhika Raj, How a conservationist and his team in the Sundarbans brought the Northern River Terrapin, one of the most endangered turtle species in the world, back from the brink… On the night before Holi, as the country prepared for the festival of colours, Shailendra Singh sat on a lonely motorboat… Read More Drawing by Frederic Peter Layard after an original sketch of 1839, Farm among paddy fields in the Sundarbans, 2010. The remaining portions of the forests were declared a reserve forest the following year and the forest, which was so far administered by the civil administration district, was placed under the control of the Forest Department. They all told us that they had seen the turtle, but it had been years ago. Sundari trees (Heritiera fomes) dominate the flora, interspersed with Gewa (Excoecaria agallocha) and Passur (Xylocarpus mekongensis) with Kankra (Bruguiera gymnorhiza) occurring in areas subject to more frequent flooding. [26] In an accreting mudflats the outer community along the sequence represents the pioneer community which is gradually replaced by the next community representing the seral stages and finally by a climax community typical of the climatic zone. Message In: Nuruzzaman, M., I.U. [13] There are three wildlife sanctuaries established in 1977 under the Bangladesh Wildlife (Preservation) Order, 1973 (P.O. The Chief Conservator of Forests (South) & Director, Sundarban Biosphere Reserve is the administrative head of the park at the local level and is assisted by a Deputy Field Director and an Assistant Field Director. Sundarbans Wetlands. Jalais, Annu. The world's largest mangrove forest in the delta of Ganges, Meghna and Brahmaputra rivers, Location of the Sunderbans, spanning across the, Village in a clearing of Sundarbans. However, the lands near the villages are irrigated from ponds that were filled up during monsoon, and vegetable crops (Rabi crops) can be grown here.[70]. The greatest of these being the Bengal tiger of which an estimated 350 remain in the Bangladesh Sundarbans. Besides the forest, there are extensive areas of brackish water and freshwater marshes, intertidal mudflats, sandflats, sand dunes with typical dune vegetation, open grassland on sandy soils and raised areas supporting a variety of terrestrial shrubs and trees. The tigers regularly attack and kill humans who venture into the forest, human deaths ranging from 30 to 100 per year. The park receives financial aid from the State Government as well as the Ministry of Environment and Forests under various Plan and Non-Plan Budgets. Fishing pressure was relatively low, with only subsistent fishermen being encountered during our stay, even in the most remote areas of the park. First, tigers are much smarter than anticipated. [23], A victim of large-scale clearing and settlement to support one of the densest human populations in Asia, this ecoregion is under a great threat of extinction. Once ranging into Myanmar, Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand, it is now found only in Cambodia, Bangladesh, India, Malaysia and Indonesia, in sparse numbers and fragmented populations. The area is known for the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), as well as numerous fauna including species of birds, spotted deer, crocodiles and snakes. Part of the Sundarbans is shielded from tidal inflow by leaves and there one finds villages and agriculture. Moreover, the submergence of land mass have rendered up to 6,000 families homeless and around 70,000 people are immediately threatened with the same. [7] 23 of 1973). Photo by Rick Hudson. In Bangladesh, a Forest Circle was created in 1993 to preserve the forest, and Chief Conservators of Forests have been posted since. In many of the Bangladesh's mangrove wetlands, freshwater reaching the mangroves was considerably reduced from the 1970s because of diversion of freshwater in the upstream area by neighbouring India through the use of the Farakka Barrage bordering Rajshahi, Bangladesh. The tigers of the Sundarbans are famous for being smaller, yet more aggressive than any other tiger subspecies. Terrestrial and highly aquatic (freshwater and brackish), they are found in the Sundarbans forests of India, Bangladesh and parts of Myanmar. [27] Robert Scott Troup suggested that succession began in the newly accreted land created by fresh deposits of eroded soil. I never saw a tiger during our survey of the area, but there were signs and tracks of them everywhere we ventured on land. Additional funding is received under the Project Tiger from the Central Government. With the guidance and help of Dr. Singh and the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), the program is once again growing as they begin to look at repatriating the northern river terrapin back into the tiger sanctuary. [62] On 13 December 2014, a dead Irrawaddy dolphin was seen floating on the Harintana-Tembulbunia channel of the Sela River.[68]. The nesting beaches were all in good condition with only minor concern of predation from native pigs. As a result, the salinity of the Bangladesh Sundarbans is much lower than that of the Indian side. The theory was that this would confuse a tiger as to which way a person was facing, hence foiling the tiger’s effort to take one that person by surprise. Among palms, Poresia coaractata, Myriostachya wightiana and golpata (Nypa fruticans), and among grasses spear grass (Imperata cylindrica) and khagra (Phragmites karka) are well distributed. The management was entirely designed to extract whatever treasures were available, but labour and lower management mostly were staffed by locals, as the British had no expertise or adaptation experience in mangrove forests.