Sundar Ban Forest

The word “Sundarban” most probably comes from the Bangla words

for “beautiful forest”. A large part of the forest is made up of Sundari trees. The Sundarban surround the Ganges delta and are the largest area in the world. One third of the area belongs to , two thirds to Bangladesh – the mangrove trees don’t care much about borders, and neither do the living there. Everywhere you can see their roots coming up through the soil; as the soil is very muddy, almost no oxygen comes through and this is the way the trees can still breath. The walking does not get any easier, though. Sundari tree grows in saline waters and has very hard , two qualities that make it excellent boat material and liable to illegal cutting. The animals are also at risk because of our human interests. Poverty makes it almost impossible to implement the environmental laws. If you have nothing to eat, it is hard to lie awake over the continued existence of a mangrove forest, however beautiful it may be.

Sundarbans, The largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world, located in the southern part of Bangladesh. It lies on the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta at the point where it merges with the bay of . The forest lies a little south to the Tropic of Cancer between the latitudes 21º30´N and 22º30´N, and longitudes 89º00´E and 89º55´E. With its array of trees and wildlife the forest is a showpiece of natural history. It is also a centre of economic activities, such as extraction of timber, fishing and collection of honey. The forest consists of about 200 islands, separated by about 400 interconnected tidal rivers, creeks and canals.

Sundarbans was originally measured (about 200 years ago) to be of about 16,700 sq km. Now it has dwindled to about 1/3 of the original size. Because of the partition of India, Bangladesh received about 2/3 of the forest; the rest is on the Indian side. It is now estimated to be about 4,110 sq km, of which about 1,700 sq km is occupied by waterbodies. The forest lies under two forest divisions, and four administrative ranges viz Chandpai, Sarankhola, Khulna and Burigoalini and has 16 forest stations. It is further divided into 55 compartments and 9 blocks. The Sundarbans was declared as a Reserve Forest in 1875. About 32,400 hectares of the Sundarbans have been declared as three wildlife sanctuaries, and came under the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. These wildlife sanctuaries were established in 1977 under the Bangladesh Wildlife (Preservation) (Amendment) Act, 1974. These are Sundarbans West (9,069 ha), Sundarbans South (17,878 ha), and Sundarbans East (5,439 ha).

Geology :- The tract of the Sundarbans is of recent origin, raised by the deposition of sediments formed due to soil erosion in the Himalayas. The process has been accelerated by tides from the sea face. The substratum consists mainly of Quaternary Era sediments, sand and silt mixed with marine salt deposits and clay. Geologists have detected a southeastern slope and tilting of the Bengal basin during the Tertiary. Because of neo-tectonic movements during the 10th-12th century AD, the Bengal Basin titled eastward. Evidence from borehole studies indicate that while the western side of the Sundarbans is relatively stable, the southeastern corner is an active sedimentary area and is subsiding.

Soil:- Soils of the Sundarbans mangrove forest differ from other inland soils in that they are subjected to the effects of salinity and waterlogging, which naturally affect the vegetation. In places soils are semi-solid and poorly consolidated. The pH ranges widely from 5.3 to 8.0. Although the Sundarbans soil is in general medium textured, sandy loam, silt loam or clay loam, the grain size distribution is highly variable. Silt loam is dominant textural class. Sodium and calcium contents of the soil vary from 5.7 to 29.8 meq/100g dry soil and are generally low in the eastern region and higher towards the west. The available potassium content of the soil is low, 0.3-1.3 meq/100g dry soil. Organic matter content varies between 4% and 10% in dry soil. Soil salinity increases from east (slight to moderate) to west (highly saline), but the salinity is not uniform from north to south throughout the forest.

Climate Since the forest is located on the south of the Tropic of Cancer and bounded by the northern limits of the Bay of Bengal, it is classified as tropical moist forest. The temperatures in the Sundarbans are fairly equable than those of the adjacent land areas. The average annual maximum and minimum temperatures vary between 30º and 21ºC. High temperatures occur from mid-March to mid-June and low in December and January. The mean maximum temperature for the hottest months has been recorded as 32.4ºC at Patuakhali, in the east of the Sundarbans.

The mean annual relative humidity varies from 70% at Satkhira to 80% at Patuakhali. Humidity is highest in June-October and lowest in February. Annual rainfall in the Sundarbans is in the range of 1640-2000 mm, rainfall increases from west to the east. Most rainfall occurs during the monsoon from May to October. Frequent and heavy showers occur from mid-June to mid-September. Often storm accompanied by tidal waves result widespread inundation and cause damage to vegetation and life.

Vegetation The vegetation is largely of mangrove type and encompasses a variety of including trees, shrubs, grasses, epiphytes, and lianas. Being mostly evergreen, they possess more or less similar physiological and structural adaptations. Most trees have pneumatophores for aerial respiration. The prominent is Sundari (Heritiera fomes) and Gewa (Excoecaria agallocha). Prain (1903) recorded 334 species under 245 genera. Of these 17 are pteridophytes, 87 monocotyledons and the rest are dicotyledons. The species include 35 legumes, 29 grasses, 19 sedges, and 18 euphorbias. Of the 50 true mangrove plant species recorded, the Sundarbans alone contain 35. Almost all mangrove plant species are evergreen, dwarf, shrubby or tall trees, and grow gregariously without leaving any space on the floor.

In the Sundarbans the saltwater forest is situated in the south-western part where Gewa (E. agallocha), Goran (Ceriops decandra), Keora ( apetala), Ora (S. caseolaris), Passur (Xylocarpus mekongensis), Dhundul (X. granatum), Bain ( alba, A. marina, A. officinales), and other rhizophores, and Hantal (Phoenix pelludosa) dominate. The typical mangrove species dominate the central part of the forest. The moderate saltwater forest covers most of the southern parts of Khulna and Bagerhat districts where Sundari is the dominant species. There is a thick mat of the nipa palm or \'Golpata\' (Nipa fruticans) by the side of

almost all the canals. The moderately freshwater zone results from the large amount of water, which flows down the Passur, Haringhata and Burisher, maintaining the surface water at a lower level of salinity.

The Sundarbans shows some distinct phyto-succession, where the newly formed lands are occupied by some pioneer species viz Leersia hexandra, wild rice (Potresia species), followed by Avicennia, Sonneratia and Aegiceras. The secondary succession occurs due to Ceriops, Excoecaria, Bruguiera, Heritiera, Xylocarpus and . Tiger fern (Achrostichum aureum) mostly covers the ground floor, which is common in saltwater and moderately saltwater zones. Tigers use these bushes to camouflage themselves.

Fauna The Sundarbans hosts a large variety of animals. It is the last stronghold of the bengal tiger (Panthera tigris). Within the forest there are about 50 species of mammals, about 320 species of inland and migratory , about 50 species of reptiles, 8 species of amphibians, and about 400 species of fish.

Besides the spectacular Royal Bengal Tiger, the other notable mammalian fauna are Spotted deer (Cervus axis), Barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak), Rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta), Jungle cat (Felis chaus), Leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), the Indian porcupine (Hystrix indica), Otter (Lutra perspicillata), and wild boar (Sus scrofa). deer and wild boar constitute the main prey for the tiger. Some species including the Bengal tiger are endangered.

The ecological diversity of the Sundarbans supports a large variety of birds. Among the total number of species recorded, most are resident. Over 50 species are known to be migratory and are mostly represented by the waterfowls. The egrets, storks, herons, bitterns, sandpipers, curlew, and numerous other waders are seen along the muddy banks. There are many species of gulls and terns, especially along the seacoast and the larger waterways. Accipitridae (kites, eagles, vulture, harrier etc) is represented by about 22 species. Nine species of kingfishers are available in the forest. The rich avifaunas of the forest include species of woodpeckers, barbets, owls, bee-eaters, bulbul, shrikes, drongos, starlings, mynas, babblers, thrush, oriole, flycatchers, and many others.

Of about 50 species of reptiles the largest member in the Sundarbans is

the Estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), some of which may attain a length of about seven metres. Although once they were abundant in this mangrove , their total number is now estimated to be around 250. Species of lizards, including the Monitor Lizards Varanus, turtles, and snakes are well- represented. Among the snakes, the King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), Russell\'s Viper (Vipera russellii), Rock python (Python molurus), Banded Krait (Bungarus fasciatus) and several species of sea snakes are notable/

Only eight species of amphibians have been reported from the Sundarbans. The green frog (Euphlyctis hexadactylus) is mostly observed in Chandpai area of the mangrove forest. The other forest amphibians include the Skipper frog (E. cyanophlyctis), Cricket frog (Limnonectes limnocharis), Tree frog (Polypedates maculatus), and the common toad. The Sundarbans suports nearly 400 species of fishes

in its varied aquatic habitats; these include both the pelagic and demersal fishes. Many species use these habitats as nursery grounds. No aquaculture or fish farming is allowed in the Sundarbans. The Forest Department controls the fish catch from the area.

Among the invertebrates some molluscs and crustaceans constitute important fisheries resources. About 20 species of shrimps, 8 species of lobsters, 7 species of crabs, several species of gastropods, and 6 species of pelecypods have been reported from the Sundarbans. Among the shrimps Penaeus monodon and Metapenaeus monoceros and the mud crab Scylla serrata are commercially important. Insects are varied, the most important being the honeybee Apis dorsata. Locally known as \'Mouals\', the professional bee collectors gather honey for three to four months during the flowering season taking permission from the Forest Department. The forest is very rich in its spider fauna (Araneae). Nearly 300 species under 22 families have been recorded from the mangrove forest habitats.

Economic value, tourism and forest dwellers The most important value of the Sundarbans lies in its protective role. It helps hold coastlines, reclaim coastal lands, and settle the silt carried by the rivers. The estuary is a good breeding centre for many fishes. Several plant-based industries have been developed here. The most important ones are the newsprint and hardboard mills in Khulna. The raw material for the former is gewa and for the latter sundari. Other important plant-based industries are match factories and boat building. The forest is a good source of fuel, tannins, thatching, wooden articles, medicinal plants, and fodder. The forest is also a major source of honey and bee wax. Aegiceras corniculatum, Ceriops decandra, Nipa species, Derris species, and Hibiscus tiliaceous are the major honey plants.

Most frequently visited sites in the Sundarbans include Katka, Hiron Point (known commonly as Nilkamal), Dublar Char and Tiger Point (Kachi Khali). Katka attracts tourists for its landscape and wildlife. There is a forest rest house here and an observation tower. Hiron Point also has a rest house and an observation tower. Dublar Char is an island with a beautiful beach. The other attraction of the island is the fishing activities that take place every year between mid-October and mid-February. Fishermen from other places of the country, especially from Chittagong, assemble here during the period to catch fish and dry them on the sunny beach. The honey collectors go into the forests during April-May.

Only a few people live permanently in or around the Sundarbans. They include the bawalis (collectors of golpata), mouals (honey collectors) and woodcutters. Their dwellings are usually at the edge of the forest and the houses are built on platforms supported on 3-5 m high poles of wood or bamboo. Some people, especially the bedyas (gypsy) live on boats. [Mostafa Kamal Pasha and Neaz Ahmad Siddiqi]

Sundarbans forest regeneration Natural regeneration refers to renewal of a tree crop by natural means, as opposed to artificial regeneration by means of planting or sowing as done in mangrove plantation. The mangrove of the Sundarbans is dependent on natural regeneration for its existence. Over the greater part of the forest, seedling recruitment was sufficient for replacement of the harvested trees. The average number of seedlings appearing per year was about 27,750/ha although recruitment densities varied considerably among different parts of the forests. Heritiera fomes, Excoecaria agallocha and other species together constituted about 24, 54 and 22 percent of the recruits (three months old seedlings), respectively.

Salinity of the area apparently influences the regeneration density which decreases with increasing level of salinity. There is year to year variation in recruitment. However, salinity appears to have little influence on these variations. Variation in seedling recruitment among the three salinity zones seems to be significant. Seedling recruitment for H. fomes, E. agallocha, and other species shows highly fluctuating values over the years. Such fluctuation might be due to the existence of periodicity in the seed production of some species.

Wild Animals in Sunderban National Park Sundarban mangrove forest is the single largest home of the Royal Bengal

Tiger( Panthera tigris ). Sundarban is also the only mangrove forest in the world having the tiger as its indigenous population. As per 2004 census, the tiger population in Indian Sundarban is around There are 58 species of mammals, 55 species of reptiles and around 248 species. Sundarbans also harbors a good number of rare and globally threatened animals including Estuarine Crocodile ( Crocodilus porosus ), Fishing Cat ( Felis viverrina ), Common otter ( Lutra lutra ), Water Monitor lizard ( Varanus salvator ), Gangetic Dolphin ( Platinista gangetica ), Snubfin dolphin ( Orcella brevirostris ), River Terrapin (Batagur baska ), marine turtles like Olive Ridley ( Lepidochelys olivacea ), Green Sea Turtle ( Chelonia mydas ), Hawksbill Turtle ( Eritmochelys imbricata ). Six species of Shark and Ray, which are found here, are included in Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act. These indicate that Sundarban Reserved Forest is a natural biodiversity hot spot. Other mammals comprise of Wild boars, Spotted deer, Porcupines and

Rhesus macaque. Among the reptiles, the King cobra, the common cobra, Banded krait, Russells Viper comprise the community of venomous reptiles, while the Python, Chequered Kil-Back, Dhaman , Green Whip Snake and several other species constitute the non-venomous snakes. The Sundarban - the largest continuous block of mangrove forest in the world. It is a part of the world's largest delta. About one third of the total area of this forest is covered by river channels and tidal creeks, varying in width from just a few meters to 5 kilometers in some places! All parts of the Sundarban forest are subject to tidal inundation during spring tides. The Bangladesh part of the forest is dominated by a high mangrove forest cover. The climate is mainly tropical maritime with lots of rain, most of which falls during the monsoon. The monsoon season (May – October) is hot and humid, while winter (October – February) is mild and dry. The entire National Park area is covered by mangrove forest. There are small patches of brackish marshes on emerging islands and riverbanks, and sandy areas with grass and low shrubs on some of the outer island,

Sundarban is home to many different species of birds,

mammals, insects, reptiles and fishes. Over 120 species of fish and over 270 species of birds have been recorded in the Sundarban. About 32 species of mammal are still found in this forest. Among these are Rhesus Macaques, Clawless Otters, Leopard Cats, Fishing Cats and Spotted Deer. The entire Sundarban Forest comprises the largest remaining tract of habitat for the Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris). The two most famous among them are Dakshin Ray and Banabibi. Dakshin Ray is worshiped as the God of tiger and all those who enter the forests for subsistence, worship Dakshin Ray irrespective of their caste, creed and religion. Banabibi, on the other hand, is considered as the protector of the inhabitants of the forests. She is popular both amongst Hindus and Muslims

Visit Sundarban to have a adventure with Royal Bengal Tiger. Explore the virgin forests of Sunderban blessed by nature with a rare beauty. For miles and miles, the lofty treetops form an unbroken canopy, while nearer the ground, works of high and ebb-tide marked on the soil and tree trunks and the many varieties of the natural mangrove forest have much to offer to an inquisitive visitor. No wonder, you may come across a Royal Bengal Tiger swimming across the streams or the crocodiles basking on the river banks.

THE FLORA

According to Champion & Seth classification, the Sundarban forest falls under the sub group 4B tidal swamp forest, with sub-divisions namely, Mangrove type 4B/TS1, 4B/TS2, Salt water type mixed forests 4B/TS3, Brackish type 4B/TS4 and Palm type 4B/E1. In general, the northern boundary and new

depositions are characterized by Baen ( Avicennia marina , A. alba, A. officinalis ) flanked by foreshore grassland of Oryza coarctata (Dhani grass). Baen is gradually replaced by Genwa ( Excoecaria agallocha ) and then Goran ( Ceriops spp .). The southern and eastern associates include Garjan ( Rhizophora spp .), Kankra ( Bruguiera spp .), and few patches of Sundari ( Heritiera fomes ). Hental ( Phoenix spp .) forest exists in relatively high land and compact soil. Dhundul ( Xylocarpus granatum ), Passur ( Xylocarpus mekongensis ) and Nipa fruticans (Golpata) palm swamps are extremely limited. • True Mangrove species = 26 • Mangrove associates = 29 • Back mangrove species= 29 • Family = 40 • Genera = 60 • Total Species = 84

Name of birds Available in Sundarban Red Junglefowl, Lesser Whistling-duck ,Gadwall, Lesser Yellownape, Streak-throated,Woodpecker Black-rumped Flameback ,Common Hoopoe ,Common Kingfisher ,Brown-winged Kingfisher , White-throated Kingfisher ,Black-capped Kingfisher ,Collared Kingfisher ,Pied Kingfisher , Green Bee-eater ,Blue-tailed Bee-eater ,Common Hawk Cuckoo ,Plaintive Cuckoo ,Asian Koel Green-billed Malkoha , Greater Coucal ,Rose-ringed Parakeet ,Asian Palm Swift ,Barn Owl , Spotted Owlet , Large-tailed Nightjar ,Rock Pigeon ,Laughing Dove ,Spotted Dove ,Eurasian Collared Dove Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, Orange-breasted Green Pigeon ,White-breasted Waterhen , Ruddy-breasted Crake ,Whimbrel ,Eurasian Curlew ,Common Redshank ,Common Greenshank , Marsh Sandpiper ,Green Sandpiper ,Wood Sandpiper ,Common Sandpiper ,Temminck's Stint Black-winged Stilt ,Common Ringed Plover ,Little Ringed Plover ,Kentish Plover ,Greater Sand Plover Grey-headed Lapwing ,Red-wattled Lapwing ,Pallas's Gull ,Brown-headed Gull ,Black-headed Gull Great Crested Tern ,Whiskered Tern ,Osprey ,Brahminy Kite ,White-bellied Sea Eagle , Short-toed Snake Eagle ,Crested Serpent Eagle ,Shikra ,Peregrine Falcon ,Little Cormorant Little Egret ,Grey Heron ,Great Egret ,Intermediate Egret ,Cattle Egret ,Indian Pond Heron Little Heron ,Yellow Bittern ,Black Bittern ,Lesser Adjutant ,Mangrove Pitta ,Brown Shrike Long-tailed Shrike ,Rufous Treepie ,House Crow ,Large-billed Crow ,Ashy Woodswallow Black-hooded Oriole ,Large Cuckooshrike ,Small Minivet ,Scarlet Minivet ,Black Drongo Bronzed Drongo ,Spangled Drongo ,Common Iora ,Red-throated Flycatcher ,Verditer Flycatcher Plain Martin ,Barn Swallow ,Oriental Magpie Robin ,Chestnut-tailed Starling ,Asian Pied Starling Jungle Myna , ,Red-vented Bulbul ,Oriental White-eye ,Blyth's Reed Warbler Clamorous Reed Warbler ,Common Tailorbird ,Dusky Warbler ,Greenish Warbler ,Striped Tit- Babbler Jungle Babbler ,Striated Babbler ,Pale-billed Flowerpecker ,Purple-rumped Sunbird ,Purple Sunbird Loten's Sunbird ,House Sparrow ,White Wagtail ,Yellow Wagtail ,Red Avadavat

Mammals/reptiles seen: 1) Rhesus Macaque Macaca mulatta 2) Spotted Deer Axis axis 3) Wild Pig Sus scorfa 4) Indian Flying Fox Pteropus giganteus 5) Irrawaddy Dolphin Orcaella brevirostris Lucky to see 4 of these endangered mammals. 6) Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus 7) Estuarine Crocodile Crocodylus porosus We saw an 18 foot monster, one of the largest ever recorded in the area. 8) Water Monitor Varanus salvator 9) Common Indian Toad Buffo melanostictus Telltale pugmarks of the Tiger were the only signs of the monarch of Sunderbans.