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Report on Sundarbans

Report on Sundarbans

: The Greenery Heart of

Zinat Afrose, 27 2021

Introduction:

Our Sundarbans, the ’s largest mangrove covers a total of 100,000 hectares and located in the deltas of southwest Bangladesh. The Sundarbans covers 4.2% of the total land area and 44% of the total forest land area in Bangladesh. It is a globally signifcant rich with that provides a for around 334 plants and 375 species including the world-famous Royal , ferocious , lots of beautiful bird species, and diferent benefcial and recreational fsh 210 species. The Sundarbans, covering about one million halves in the delta of the rivers , Brahmaputra and Meghna are shared between Bangladesh (60 %) and (40 %) and is the world’s largest coastal . Its mangrove forest acts as a natural food barrier, protecting the coastal from the devastating impact of that hit the . Increased and the destruction of mangrove for the exploitation of high-value resources are leaving the coasts increasingly exposed and vulnerable to hurricanes, as well as depleting the region's rich biodiversity.

https://www.google.com/search?q=sundarbans+images&sxsrf=ALeKk024drwzjGm1XwWeZjFD 9COwvn4LQ:1617293861754&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiigoKRud3vAhWJcn0KHa6PC1IQ_AUoAXo E CAEQAw&biw=1366&bih=647#imgrc=JRz84l8Ic2D0lM&imgdii=iBIBsarw1_31rM The Sundarbans is highly valuable because of its unique biodiversity and stunning natural beauty. Mangrove vegetation, , crocodile, spotted deer, and rich birdlife make these tours appealing. The Sundarbans serve as a natural school for eco-tourists. Though the Royal is the most popular species in this rare mangrove forest, tourists can also enjoy many other natural wonders. The chances of seeing a Royal Bengal tiger in this 4200 sq. km of thick , where tourists can only enter rivers, are one in a million. Bangladesh is a small country, but it has conceived too many places, which could attract the tourist. Due to a lack of proper management and planning these places are not attracting foreign tourists.

The Sundarbans are commemorated in Bengali folk songs and dances, which are mostly based on the Sundarbans' folk heroes, gods, and goddesses (such as and ) and the Lower Gangetic Delta (like and ). The Bengali folk epic Manasamangal mentions Netidhopani and has some passages set in the Sundarbans during the heroine 's quest to bring her husband Lakhindar back to life.

Background:

The scholars think that the exploration of the Sundarbans mangroves dates back to the 16th century. was declared in 1973 as the core area of the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve and as a sanctuary in 1977. It was ofcially named National Park on May 4, 1984. In Bengali, the word Sundarbans literally means "beautiful forest" (Shundor, "beautiful” and bon, "forest"). The name comes from the Sundari trees that can be found in the Sundarbans. The border between India and Bangladesh is marked by the River Harinbhanga (also known as Ichamati or Raimongal in Bangladesh). About 60% of mangrove forests are in Bangladesh's , with the remaining part in 's 24- District (India). Since the Tertiary stage, many geomorphological changes have resulted in the deposition of sediments in the Bengal Basin and the creation of the Sundarbans Delta, including tectonic movements in northwestern and the southeastern fow of the River Ganga. Importance:

Sundarbans is very important for the biodiversity it contains. The Sundarbans is the world's largest single tidal halophytic mangrove forest; It can be defned as a natural showpiece in terms of its biodiversity. Sundarbans is located in Bangladesh's southern region. It is situated at the confuence of the Meghna and Hugli rivers, where they reach the . Sundarbans is made up of a dense network of small rivers, channels, and creeks, as well as numerous islands created by sediment deposited by three rivers: The , Brahmaputra, and Meghna. The Sundarbans is a vast forest in the Bay of Bengal's coastal region that is considered one of the world's natural wonders; it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997; it is also signifcant for our marine biological feld. The Sundarbans, with their majestic forests and enigmatic wilderness, are found in Bengal's lower Ganga delta. The thick mangrove forests are one of the Bengal tiger's most important . The fact that the ocean and land collide here is one of the reasons for the high faunal diversity.

Problems The Sundarbans facing:

An increasing human population continues to endanger its biodiversity, placing pressure not only on its ecological resources but also on freshwater infows from upstream areas. As a result, signifcant threats to biodiversity have arisen largely as a result of the rising human population, which has resulted in overexploitation of both timber and , as well as the conversion of cleared land to and aquaculture. Wetland biodiversity is afected by a range of factors, including evolutionary history and paleoclimate, as well as current biophysical and anthropogenic factors, as well as the extent and strength of interactions with the neighbouring systems. Exploration for oil in coastal areas is also posing a new threat. Global , especially sea-level rise, poses additional dangers. However, centuries of human occupation of the forests, conversion to paddy felds, and reclamation of land for diferent uses have afected the biodiversity of the Sundarbans mangroves. Also, damage and artifcial damages make Sundarbans vulnerable. Tigers kill a signifcant number of people each year (an average of 23 per year), particularly in the Sundarbans’ southern and western . Such killings are thought to be due to high levels and a lack of for drinking purposes.

Analysis:

The status and management of the Sundarbans’ high-profle and endangered fora and fauna diversity are good indicators of the state and management of wildlife. As a consequence, it is a under the government's wildlife conservation rule. All human disturbances, such as the harvesting of wood, , fshing, and other forest products, are prohibited in the core region. In the bufer zone, however, fshing, honey collection, and woodcutting are allowed in restricted quantities. Well-armed forest workers patrol motorboats and launches in the park, protecting it from and theft of forest resources. Several signifcant sections of the park have forest ofces and camps.

The fsh diversity is directly related to the salinity gradients in diferent parts of the Sundarbans. Trawlers are used by the fsherman to fshing in the Sundarbans area. Fishermen sell the fsh they catch at the local market after catching so many. Occasionally, a large quantity of fsh is sold in other parts of the world. Not always they get the opportunity of fshing, because seasonal and some other factor are considered in fshing. Thus, sometimes they lead a very miserable life. Most of the local’s livelihood depends on Sundarbans’ resources.

The Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD), which is part of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), can sustainably manage the Sundarbans by involving local resource users in co-management, efective and standardized guarding, and proper ecological monitoring.

Recommendation:

The Sundarban’s mangroves' future depends on how well the limited freshwater resources are handled to meet both human and environmental needs. Requirements, as well as successful adaptive responses to the additional threats posed by climate change. Both the management of freshwater resources and the protection of biological resources will protect Sundarbans from destruction. Moreover, to achieve successful protection and regeneration of the mangrove ecosystem, a higher level organizational transboundary cooperation is pursued. Both the Indian and Bangladeshi governments would need an integrated approach to human well-being and environmental sustainability in the Sundarbans in this case. Because of the region's aesthetic appeal, community-based tourism can be promoted as a viable alternative source of income. While this could be a positive step in the right direction for the environment, both the administration and the community must share equal responsibility for limiting the efect of this initiative on the forest.

The government should redesign the natural resource base legally available to the public, assisting them in increasing their income-generating potential and decreasing their reliance on protected areas. The planning process would need to involve concerted measures to reduce in the city. To alleviate the rising burden on the environment, policies aimed at universal education, gender equality, and women empowerment will need to be strengthened. Internalization of a development plan with strong components on land management, protection of natural resource base, disaster management, and livelihood management in the light of climate change is essential to resolve the region's conservation challenges.

Conclusion:

Our self-importance has added to the problem over time, and if we continue to neglect it, we will soon face nature's wrath. We should play a proactive role in protecting the mangrove forest, realizing that if the Sundarbans are protected, the Sundarbans would be saved as well. To save the Sundarbans, we must leave them alone and refrain from interfering. The government's only option is to keep a human presence to a minimum. This involves avoiding contamination in surrounding areas, refraining from harming and birds, discouraging the use of vessels to transport goods, and banning the use of toxic chemicals polluting rivers or even the air for the plants’ safety. https://www.google.com/search?q=sundarban%20forest%20animals&tbm=isch&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCEQtI8

B AFqFwoTCJjl45i53e8CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAo&biw=1349&bih=647#imgrc=z3SGSp9jQuKVvM References:

1. Biswas, S.R., Choudhury, J.K., Nishat, A. and Rahman, M.M., 2007. Do invasive plants threaten the Sundarbans mangrove forest of Bangladesh? Forest Ecology and Management, 245(1-3), pp.1-9. 2. Roy, A.K.D., Alam, K. and Gow, J., 2012. A review of the role of property rights and forest policies in the management of the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest in Bangladesh. Forest Policy and Economics, 15, pp.46-53. 3. Rahman, M.M., Khan, M.N.I., Hoque, A.F. and Ahmed, I., 2015. Carbon stock in the Sundarbans mangrove forest: spatial variations in vegetation types and salinity zones. Ecology and Management, 23(2), pp.269-283. 4. Quader, M.A., Agrawal, S. and Kervyn, M., 2017. Multi-decadal land cover evolution in the Sundarban, the largest mangrove forest in the world. Ocean & Coastal Management, 139, pp.113-124. 5. Richards, J.F. and Flint, E.P., 1990. Long-term transformations in the Sundarbans wetlands forests of Bengal. Agriculture and Human Values, 7(2), pp.17-33. 6. Photographs Available at: https://www.google.com/search?q=sundarbans+images&sxsrf=ALeKk03- F9Ay2THoaqGtE8J30HewxulSgQ:16170411(Accessed 27 March 2021) 7. Rahman, F., Raju, M. (2020). Why saving the Sundarbans is so urgent? The Daily , 2nd January. Available at: https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/environment/news/why saving-the-Sundarbans-so-urgent-1848145 (Accessed 29 March 2021)

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