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The Sundarbans Fact file

L- R: Mangrove forests of Sundarbans; Sundarbans - the Royal Bengal Tiger's habitat

Photo source: L-R unesco.org; news.bbc.co.uk

The Sundarbans of Bangladesh have been declared a Natural World Heritage site.One of the few existing biologically productive natural ecosystems of the world, the

Sundarbans are also the worlds largest mangrove forest. A significant part of theSundarbans lies in India, where it has been designated The Sundarbans National

Park, also a World Heritage Site. The Bangladesh side of the Sundarbans consists ofthree wildlife sanctuaries Sundarbans East, West, and South on the deltaic

islands of Khulna district. The forests and waterways of Sundarbans support a widespectrum of natural life some close to extinction. No hunting is allowed within the

forests.

The Sundarbans

cover approximately 10,000 sq.km of land and water. The total area of the

Bangladesh Sundarbans is 5,771sq.km (almost 62 percent of the total) theremaining area is in India,

are a part of the world's largest delta (80,000sq.km) formed by sedimentsbrought down by three great rivers, the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna

a distinctive feature of the Sundarbans is the intricate network ofinterconnecting water channels. Some of these channels can exceed a mile in

width.

the rainfall and humidity are both high. Most of the rainfall is during theMonsoon season from June to October.

It is the worlds largest mangrove forest

It supports a spectacular wildlife both in terms of numbers and variety

though many species are on the verge of extinction

The Sundarbans are home to:

49 species of mammals, including Javan rhinoceros, water buffalo, Gangesriver dolphin, swamp deer, gaur, hog deer, spotted deer, wild boar, otter, wild

cat, and tiger.

315 species of birds including the white-bellied sea-eagle, raptors, waterfowl,

kingfisher, grey-headed fish eagle Herons, egrets, sandpipers, curlew, and

storks. The forest birds found here include woodpeckers, barbets, shrikes,drongos, mynahs, minivets, and babblers.

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53 species of reptiles and eight of amphibians that include crocodiles,

monitors, Indian python, turtle, King cobra, and spectacled cobra.

120 species of fish including mud-skippers and gobys. Shrimps, prawns,lobsters, and crabs are found in abundance. Bull sharks, Sandbar shark, tiger

shark, Hammerheads, stingray, anchovy are found as well.

an insect population including honey- bees.

The deltaic islands were once inhabited by humans, as shown by

archaeological evidence. These human settlements did not survive beyond the17th century.

Sundarbans provide livelihood to approximately 300,000 people who work asfishermen, wood-cutters, and gather honey, leaves (for roofing), and grass

(for matting). Approximately 2.5 million people live in the surroundingvillages.

The Bangladeshi and Indian officials are working together to protect the ecology of

Sundarbans. The threat to its unique fauna and flora requires more cross-bordercooperation. The fact that Sundarbans span both countries, does not mean that it

has to be managed as two entities. The officials in India and Bangladesh are

considering managing it as a single eco-system. Sundarbans need to be protectedfrom pollution, and human encroachment.