Sundarbans

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For the November 1847 short civil war in Switzerland, see  Sonderbund War.

The Sundarbans*

UNESCO World Heritage Site

State Party India (West Bengal), Bangladesh

Type Natural

Criteria ix, x

Reference 798

Asia
Region**

Inscription history

1997  (21st Session)
Inscription

* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List.

** Region as classified by UNESCO.

The Sundarbans (Bengali: সুন্দরবন, Shundorbôn) is the largest single block of

tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world.[1] The name Sundarban can be literally translated as

"beautiful jungle" or "beautiful forest" in the Bengali language (Sundar, "beautiful" and ban, "forest" or
"jungle"). The name may have been derived from the Sundari trees that are found in Sundarbans in large
numbers. Alternatively, it has been proposed that the name is a corruption
 of Samudraban (Bengali: সমুদ্রবন Shomudrobôn "Sea Forest") or Chandra-bandhe (name of a primitive

tribe). But the generally accepted view is the one associated with Sundari trees.[1]

The forest lies in the vast delta on the Bay of Bengal formed by the super confluence of
the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers across Saiyan southern Bangladesh and West
Bengal, India. The seasonally-flooded Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests lie inland from the
mangrove forests on the coastal fringe. The forest covers 10,000 sq.km. of which about 6,000 are in
Bangladesh.[2] It became inscribed as a UNESCO world heritage suite in 1997, but while the Bangladeshi
and Indian portions constitute the same continuous ecotope, they are separately listed in
the UNESCO world heritage list as the Sundarbans and Sundarbans National Park, respectively. The
Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans is estimated to be about 4,110 km², of which about 1,700 km² is
occupied by waterbodies in the forms of river, canals and creeks of width varying from a few meters to
several kilometers.

The Sundarbans is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of

salt-tolerant mangrove forests. The interconnected network of waterways makes almost every corner of
the forest accessible by boat. The area is known for the eponymous Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris
tigris), as well as numerous fauna including species of birds, spotted deer,crocodiles and snakes. The
fertile soils of the delta have been subject to intensive human use for centuries, and the ecoregion has
been mostly converted to intensive agriculture, with few enclaves of forest remaining. The remaining
forests, pain together with the Sundarbans mangroves, are important habitat for the endangered tiger.
Additionally, the Sundarbans serves a crucial function as a protective barrier for the millions of inhabitants
in and around Kolkata against the floods that result from the cyclones that are a regular occurrence on
this coast. Sundarbans have also been enlisted amongst the finalist in the New7Wonders of Nature.

History

Village in yugioh a clearing of Sunderbans, 1839

The history of the area can be traced back to 200–300 AD. A ruin of a
city built by Chand Sadagar has been found in the Baghmara Forest
Block. During the Mughal period, local kings leased the forests of the
Sundarbans to residents. In this period, Raja Basanta Rai and his 5ds
nephew took refuge in the Sundarbans from the advancing armies of
Emperor Akbar.[3] Many of the buildings which were built by them later
fell to hands of Portuguese pirates, salt smugglers and dacoits in the
17th century. Evidence of the fact can be traced from the ruins at
Netidhopani and other places scattered all over Sundarbans.[4] The legal
status of the forests underwent a series of changes, including the
distinction of being the first mangrove forest in the world to be brought
under scientific management. The area was mapped by the Surveyor
General as early as 1764 following soon after proprietary rights were
obtained from the Mughal Emperor Alamgir II by the East India
Company in 1757. Systematic management of this forest tract started in
the 1860s after the establishment of a Forest Department in
the Province of Bengal, in India.[5]
The first Forest Management Division to have jurisdiction over the
Sundarbans was established in 1869. In 1875 a large portion of
the mangrove forests was declared as reserved forests in 1875–76
under the Forest Act, 1865 (Act VIII of 1865). The remaining portions of
forests was declared as reserve forest the following year and the forest,
which was so far was administered by the civil administration district,
was placed under the control of the Forest Department. A Forest
Division, which is the basic forest management and administration unit,
was created in 1879 with the headquarter in Khulna. The first
management plan was written for the period 1893–98.[6][7]
In 1911, it was described as a tract of waste country which had never
been surveyed, nor had the census been extended to it. It then stretched
for about 165 miles (266 km) from the mouth of theHugli to the mouth of
the Meghna and was bordered inland by the three settled districts of
the 24 Parganas, Khulna and Backergunje. The total area (including
water) was estimated at 6,526 square miles (16,902 km2). It was a
water-logged jungle, in which tigers and other wild beasts abounded.
Attempts at reclamation had not been very successful. The characteristic
tree was the sundari (Heritiera littoralis), from which the name of the tract
had probably been derived. It yields a hard wood, used for building, and
for making boats, furniture, etc. The Sundarbans were everywhere
intersected by river channels and creeks, some of which afforded water
communication betweenCalcutta and the Brahmaputra Valley, both
for steamers and for native boats.
[edit]Physiography

This satellite image shows the forest in the protected area. The Sundarbans appears deep green, surrounded to the north by
a landscape of agricultural lands, which appear lighter green, towns, which appear tan, and streams, which are blue.

The mangrove-dominated Ganges Delta – the Sundarbans – is a

complex ecosystem comprising one of the three largest single tract
of mangrove forests of the world. Shared between two neighbouring
countries, Bangladesh and India, the larger part (62%)is situated in the
southwest corner of Bangladesh. To the south the forest meets the Bay
of Bengal; to the east it is bordered by the Baleswar River and to the
north there is a sharp interface with intensively cultivated land. The
natural drainage in the upstream areas, other than the main river
channels, is everywhere impeded by extensive embankments
and polders. The Sundarbans was originally measured (about 200 years
ago) to be of about 16,700 km². Now it has dwindled to about 1/3 of the
original size. The total land area today is 4,143 km² (including
exposed sandbars: 42 km²) and the remaining water area of 1,874 km²
encompasses rivers, small streams and canals. Rivers in the
Sundarbans are meeting places of salt water and freshwater. Thus, it is
a region of transition between the freshwater of the rivers originating
from the Ganges and the saline water of the Bay of Bengal (Wahid et al.,
2002).
The Sundarbans along the Bay of Bengal has evolved over the millennia
through natural deposition of upstream sediments accompanied by
intertidal segregation. The physiography is dominated by deltaic
formations that include innumerable drainage lines associated with
surface and subaqueous levees, splays and tidal flats. There are also
marginal marshes above mean tide level, tidal sandbars and islands with
their networks of tidal channels, subaqueous distal bars and proto-delta
clays and silt sediments. The Sundarbans' floor varies from 0.9 m to 2.11
m above sea level.[8]
Biotic factors here play a significant role in physical coastal evolution and
for wildlife a variety of habitats have developed including beaches,
estuaries, permanent and semi-permanent swamps, tidal flats, tidal
creeks, coastal dunes, back dunes and levees. The mangrove
vegetation itself assists in the formation of new landmass and the
intertidal vegetation plays an important role in swamp morphology. The
activities of mangrove fauna in the intertidal mudflats
develop micromorphological features that trap and hold sediments to
create a substratum for mangrove seeds. The morphology and evolution
of the eolian dunes is controlled by an abundance
of xerophyticand halophytic plants. Creepers and grasses and sedges
stabilizes sand dunes and uncompacted sediments. The Sunderbans
mudflats (Banerjee, 1998) are found at the estuary and on the deltaic
islands where low velocity of river and tidal current occurs. The flats are
exposed in low tides and submerged in high tides, thus being changed
morphologically even in one tidal cycle. The interiorparts of the mudflats
are magnificent home of luxuriant mangroves.
[edit]Ecoregions

Sundarbans features two ecoregions — "Sundarbans freshwater swamp

forests" (IM0162) and "Sundarbans mangroves" (IM1406).[9]
The Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests are a tropical moist
broadleaf forest ecoregion of India and Bangladesh. It represents the
brackish swamp forests that lie behind the Sundarbans
Mangroves where the salinity is more pronounced. The freshwater
ecoregion is an area where the water is only slightly brackish and
becomes quite fresh during the rainy season, when the freshwater
plumes from the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers push the intruding salt
water out and also bring a deposit of silt. It covers an area of 14,600
square kilometers (5,600 square miles) of the vast Ganges-Brahmaputra
Delta, extending from India's West Bengal state into
western Bangladesh. The Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests lie
between the upland Lower Gangetic plains moist deciduous forests and
the brackish-water Sundarbans mangroves bordering the Bay of Bengal.
[10]

This ecoregion is nearly extinct, the victim of large-scale clearing and

settlement to support one of the densest human populations in Asia.
Hundreds of years of habitation and exploitation by one of the world's
densest human populations have exacted a heavy toll of this ecoregion's
habitat and biodiversity. There are two protected areas — Narendrapur
(110 km2) and Ata Danga Baor (20 km2) that cover a mere 130 km2 of
the ecoregion. Habitat loss in this ecoregion is so extensive, and the
remaining habitat is so fragmented, that it is difficult to ascertain the
composition of the original vegetation of this ecoregion. According to
Champion and Seth (1968), the freshwater swamp forests are
characterized by Heritiera minor,Xylocarpus molluccensis, Bruguiera
conjugata, Sonneratia apetala, Avicennia officinalis, and Sonneratia
caseolaris, with Pandanus tectorius, Hibiscus tiliaceus, and Nipa
fruticans along the fringing banks.[10]
The Sundarbans Mangroves ecoregion on the coast forms the seaward
fringe of the delta and is the world's largest mangrove ecosystem, with
20,400 square kilometers (7,900 square miles) of area covered. The
dominant mangrove speciesHeritiera fomes, locally known as sundri or
sundari, is the tree for which the Sundarbans are thought to be named.
Mangrove forests are not home to a great variety of plants. They have a
thick canopy and the undergrowth is mostly seedlings of the mangrove
trees. As well as the sundari other species that make up the forest
include Avicennia spp., Xylocarpus mekongensis, Xylocarpus
granatum, Sonneratia apetala, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Cereops
decandra, Aegiceras corniculatum, Rhizophora mucronata, and Nypa
fruticans palms.[11]
[edit]Climate change impact

Mudflats in Sundarbans

The physical development processes along the coast are influenced by a

multitude of factors, comprising wave motions, micro and macro-tidal
cycles and long shore currents typical to the coastal tract. The shore
currents vary greatly along with the monsoon. These are also affected
by cyclonic action. Erosion and accretion through these forces maintains
varying levels, as yet not properly measured, of physiographic change
whilst the mangrove vegetation itself provides a remarkable stability to
the entire system. During each monsoon season almost all the Bengal
Delta is submerged, much of it for half a year. The sediment of the lower
delta plain is primarily advected inland by monsoonal coastal setup and
cyclonic events. One of the greatest challenges people living on
theGanges Delta may face in coming years is the threat of rising sea
levels caused mostly by subsidence in the region and partly by climate
change.
In many of the Indian mangrove wetlands, freshwater reaching the
mangroves was considerably reduced from the late 19th century due to
diversion of freshwater in the upstream area. Also, the Bengal Basin is
slowly tilting towards the east due to neo-tectonic movement, forcing
greater freshwater input to the Bangladesh Sundarbans. As a result, the
salinity of the Bangladesh Sundarbans is much lower than that of the
Indian Sundarbans. 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-cm 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% of the
Sundarbans mangroves.[12] Already, Lohachara Island and New Moore
Island/South Talpatti Island have disappeared under the sea,
and Ghoramara Island is half submerged.[13]
[edit]Flora

Sundari tree

The Sundarbans flora is characterized by the abundance of Heritiera

fomes, Excoecaria agallocha, Ceriops decandra and Sonneratia apetala.
A total 245 genera and 334 plant species were recorded by David
Prain in 1903.[14] Since Prain’s report there have been considerable
changes in the status of various mangrove species and taxonomic
revision of the man-grove flora.[15] However, very little exploration of the
botanical nature of the Sundarbans has been made to keep up with
these changes. Whilst most of the mangroves in other parts of the world
are characterized by members of the
Rhizophoraceae, Avicenneaceae or Laganculariaceae, the mangroves
of Bangladesh are dominated by the Sterculiaceae and Euphorbiaceae.
[6]

The Bangladesh mangrove vegetation of the Sundarbans differs greatly

from other non-deltaic coastal mangrove forest and upland forests
associations. Unlike the former, the Rhizophoraceae are of minor
importance. Differences in vegetation have been explained in terms of
freshwater and low salinity influences in the Northeast and variations in
drainage and siltation. The Sundarbans has been classified as a moist
tropical forest demonstrating a whole mosaic of seres, comprising
primary colonization on new accretions to more mature beach forests,
often conspicuously dominated by Keora (Sonneratia apetala) and tidal
forests. Historically three principal vegetation types have been
recognized in broad correlation with varying degrees of water salinity,
freshwater flushing and physiography and which are represented in the
wildlife sanctuaries:
Sundari and Gewa occur prominently throughout the area with
discontinuous distribution of Dhundul (Xylocarpus granatum) and
Kankra. Among grasses and Palms, Poresia coaractata, Myriostachya
wightiana, Imperata cylindrica, Phragmites karka, Nypa fruticans are well
distributed. Keora is an indicator species for newly accreted mudbanks
and is an important species for wildlife, especially spotted deer (Axis
axis). Besides the forest, there are extensive areas
of brackish 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.
Succession is generally defined as the successive occupation of a site
by different plant communities.[16] 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.
[17]
 Troup suggested that succession began in the newly accreted land
created by fresh deposits of eroded soil.[18]
The pioneer vegetation on these newly accreted site is Sonneratia,
followed by Avicennia and Nypa. As the ground is elevated as a result of
soil deposition, other trees make their appearance. The most prevalent,
though one of the late species to appear, is Excoecaria. As the level of
land rises through accretion and the land is only occasionally flooded by
tides, Heritiera fomes begins to appear.
Mangrove Adaptations
Mangrove plants live in hostile environmental conditions such as high
salinity, hypoxic (oxygen deficient) waterlogged soil strata, tidal
pressures, strong winds and sea waves. To cope up with such a hostile
environment mangroves exhibit highly evolved morphological and
physiological adaptations to extreme conditions.
Do mangroves need salt?
The answer is no. Mangroves are facultative halophytes, i.e., the
presence of salt in the environment is not necessary for the growth of
mangroves and they can grow very well in freshwater. One particular
advantage to growing in a salty environment is the lack of competition!
Only a limited number of plants have invested evolutionary energy into
adapting to intertidal conditions. In the optimum conditions of a tropical
rainforest, diversity is great and competition fierce.
[edit]Fauna

A Royal Bengal tiger

The Sundarbans provide a unique ecosystem and a rich wildlife habitat.
According to the 2011 tiger census, the Sundarbans have about 70
tigers. Although previous rough estimates had suggested much higher
figures close to 300, the 2011 census provided the first ever scientific
estimate of tigers from the area[19][20] Tiger attacks are frequent in the
Sundarbans. Between 100 and 250 people are killed per year.

Chital deer are widely seen

There is much more wildlife here than just the endangered Royal Bengal
Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris). Most importantly mangroves are a transition
from the marine to freshwater and terrestrial systems and provide critical
habitat for numerous species of small fish, crabs, fidler crabs, hermit
crabs, shrimps and other crustaceans that are adapted to feed, shelter
and reproduce among the tangled mass of roots, known
as pneumatophores, that grow upward from the anaerobic mud to get
the trees' supply of oxygen. Fishing Cats, Macaques, wild
boar, Common Grey Mongoose, Fox, Jungle Cat, Flying Fox, Pangolin,
and Chital are also found in abundance in the Sundarbans.
1991 studies revealed that the Bangladesh Sundarbans support diverse
biological resources including at least 120 species of commercially
important fishes, 270 species of birds, 42 species of mammals, 35
reptiles and eight amphibian species. This represents a significant
proportion of the species present in Bangladesh (i.e. about 30% of the
reptiles, 37% the birds and 34% of the mammals) and includes a large
number of species which are now extinct elsewhere in the country.
[21]
 Two amphibians, 14 reptiles, 25 aves and five mammals are presently
endangered.[22] The Sundarbans is an important wintering area for
migrant water birds[23] and is an area suitable for watching and studying
avifauna.[24]
The management of wildlife is presently restricted to the protection of
fauna from poaching and designation of some areas as wildlife
sanctuaries where no extraction of forest produce is allowed and the
wildlife face few disturbances. Although the fauna of Bangladesh have
diminished in recent times[6] and the Sundarbans has not been spared
from this decline, the mangrove forest retains several good wildlife
habitats and their associated fauna. Of these the tiger and dolphin are
target species for planning wildlife management and tourism
development. There are high profile and vulnerable mammals living in
two contrasting environments and their statuses and management are
strong indicators of the general condition of wildlife and its management.
Some of the species are protected by legislation, notably by the
Bangladesh Wildlife (Preservation) Order, 1973 (P.O. 23 of 1973).[25]
[edit]Predators

See also: Tiger attacks in the Sundarbans

The fertile soils of the delta have been subject to intensive human use
for centuries, and the ecoregion has been mostly converted to intensive
agriculture, with few enclaves of forest remaining. The remaining forests,
together with the Sundarbans mangroves, are important habitat for the
endangered Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris). Sunderbans also contains
the leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) and several smaller predators such
as the jungle cat (Felis chaus), fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus), and
leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis).[10]
Several predators dwell in the labyrinth of channels, branches and roots
that poke up into the air. This is the only mangrove ecoregion that
harbors the Indo-Pacific region's largest predator, the Bengal Tiger.
Unlike in other habitats, here tigers live and swim among the mangrove
islands, where they hunt scarce prey such as the Chital deer (axis
axis), Indian Muntjac(Muntiacus muntjak), Wild boar (Sus scrofa), and
even Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta). It is estimated that there are
now 500[20] Bengal tigers and about 30,000 spotted deer in the area. The
tigers do also regularly attack and kill humans who venture into the
forest with estimates of human deaths ranging from 30-100 people per
year.[26]
Some of the reptiles are predators too, including two species of
crocodile, the Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) and Mugger
crocodile (Crocodylus palustris), as well as the Gharial (Gavialis
gangeticus) and the Water monitor lizard (Varanus salvator) all of which
hunt on both land and water, while Sharks and the Gangetic
Dolphins (Platanista gangetica) roam the waterways.[27]
[edit]Avifauna

Blue-eared Kingfisher sighted in the Sundarbans

The forests are rich in bird life too with 170 species including the
endemic Brown-winged Kingfisher (Pelargopsis amauroptera) and the
globally threatened Lesser Adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus) and Masked
Finfoot (Heliopais personata) and birds of prey such as
the osprey (Pandion haliaetus), White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus
leucogaster) and Grey-headed Fish-eagle (Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus).
The Sundarbans were designated a Ramsar site on May 21, 1992.
[28]
 Some of the more popular birds found in this region are Open Billed
Storks, White Ibis, Water Hens, Coots, Pheasant-tailed Jacanas, Pariah
Kites, Brahminy Kite, Marsh Harriers, Swamp Partridges, Red
Junglefowls, Spotted Doves, Common Mynahs, Jungle Crows, Jungle
Babblers, Cotton Teals, Herring Gulls, Caspian Terns, Gray
Herons, Brahminy Ducks, Spot-billed Pelicans, great Egrets, Night
Herons, Common Snipes, Wood Sandpipers, Green Pigeons, Rose
Ringed Parakeets, Paradise Flycatchers, Cormorants, Fishing
Eagles, White-bellied Sea Eagles,Seagulls, Common
Kingfishers, Peregrine falcons, Woodpeckers, Whimprels, Black-tailed
Godwits, Little Stints, Eastern Knots, Curlews, Golden
Plovers, Pintails, White Eyed Pochards and Whistling Teals.
[edit]Aqua fauna

Gangetic Dolphin, drawing from 1894

Some of the fish and amphibians found in the park are Sawfish, Butter

Fish, Electric rays, Silver carp, Barb (fish), River Eels, Star
Fish, Common Carp, King Crabs,Prawn, Shrimps, Gangetic
Dolphins, Skipping Frogs, Common Toads and Tree Frogs. One
particularly interesting fish is the mudskipper, a gobioid that climbs out of
the water into mudflats and even climbs trees.
[edit]Reptiles

A crocodile at Sundarbans

The Sundarbans National Park houses an excellent number of reptiles

as well. Some of the common ones are Olive Ridley turtles, sea
snakes, Dog Faced Water Snakes, Green Turtles, Estuarine
Crocodiles, Chameleons, King Cobras, Salvator Lizards, Hard Shelled
Batgun Terrapins, Russels Vipers, Mouse Ghekos, Monitor
Lizards, Curviers, Hawks Bill Turtles, Pythons, Common
Kraits, Chequered Killbacks and rat Snakes. The river terrapin (Batagur
baska), Indian flap-shelled turtle (Lissemys punctata), peacock soft-
shelled turtle (Trionyx hurum), yellow monitor (Varanus flavescens),
water monitor (Varanus salvator), and Indian python (Python molurus)
are some of the resident species.
[edit]Endangered and extinct species

Extinct rhino of Sunderbans

The endangered species that lives within the Sundarbans are Royal
Bengal Tiger, Estuarine Crocodile, River Terrapin (Batagur baska), Olive
Ridley Turtle,Gangetic dolphin, Ground Turtle, Hawks Bill Turtle and
King Crabs (Horse shoe). Some species such as hog deer (Axis
porcinus), water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), swamp deer (Cervus
duvauceli), Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), single horned
rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) and the mugger crocodile or marsh
crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) have become extinct in the Sundarbans
at the beginning of the last century.[22] There are several other threatened
mammal species, such as the capped langur (Semnopithecus pileatus),
smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata), Oriental small-clawed otter
(Aonyx cinerea), and great Indian civet (Viverra zibetha).
[edit]Economy

Fishing boat in the Sundarbans

Logging boat in the Sundarbans

Ferry boat in the Sundarbans

The Sundarbans has a population of over 4 million[29] but much of it is

mostly free of permanent human habitation.
The Sundarbans play an important role in the economy of the
southwestern region of Bangladesh as well as in the national economy.
It is the single largest source of forest produce in the country. The forest
provides raw material for wood based industries. In addition to traditional
forest produce like timber, fuelwood, pulpwood etc., large scale harvest
of non wood forest products such as thatching materials, honey, bees-
wax, fish, crustacean and mollusk resources of the forest takes place
regularly. The vegetated tidal lands of the Sundarbans also function as
an essential habitat, nutrient producer, water purifier, nutrient and
sediment trap, storm barrier, shore stabilizer, energy storage unit and
aesthetic attraction.
The forest also has immense protective and productive functions.
Constituting 51% of the total reserved forest estate of Bangladesh it
contributes about 41% of total forest revenue and accounts for about
45% of all timber and fuel wood output of the country (FAO 1995). A
number of industries (e.g. newsprint mill, match factory, hardboard, boat
building, furniture making) are based on the raw material obtained from
the Sundarbans ecosystem. Various non-timber forest
products and plantations help generate considerable employment and
income generation opportunities for at least half a million poor coastal
population. Besides production functions of the forest, it provides natural
protection to life and properties of the coastal population
in cyclone prone Bangladesh.
Despite human habitations and economic exploitation of the forest,
Sundarbans retained a forest closure of about 70% according to
the Overseas Development Administration (ODA) of the United
Kingdom in 1985.
Forest inventories reveal a decline in standing volume of the two main
commercial mangrove species — sundari (Heritiera spp.)
and gewa (Excoecaria agallocha) — by 40% and 45% respectively
between 1959 and 1983 (Forestal 1960 and ODA 1985). Also, despite a
total ban on all killing or capture of wildlife other than fish and
some invertebrates, there appears to be a pattern of depleted
biodiversity or loss of species (notably at least six mammals and one
important reptile this century), and that the "ecological quality of the
original mangrove forest is declining" (IUCN 1994).
[edit]Administration

A Panaroma atop an observation post at Hiron Point Wild Life Sanctuary, Khulna Range, Bangladesh

The Sundarbans area is one of the most densely populated in the world
and the population is increasing, as a result half of this ecoregion's
mangrove forests have been cut down to supply fuelwood and other
natural resources. Despite the intense and large-scale exploitation, this
still is one of the largest contiguous areas of mangroves in the world.
Another threat comes from deforestation and water diversion from the
rivers inland which causes far more silt to be brought to the estuary,
clogging up the waterways.
The Bangladesh part of forest lies under two forest divisions, and four
administrative ranges viz Chandpai (Khulna
District),Sarankhola (Khulna), and Burigoalini (Satkhira District) and has
sixteen forest stations. It is further divided into fifty-five compartments
and nine blocks.[1] There are three wildlife sanctuaries established in
1977 under the Bangladesh Wildlife (Preservation) Order, 1973 (P.O. 23
of 1973).
Protected areas cover 15% of the Sundarbans mangroves
including Sundarbans National Park and Sajnakhali Wildlife
Sanctuary, Halliday Island and Lothian Island Wildlife Sanctuary in West
Bengal and Sundarbans East, Char Kukri-Mukri, Sundarbans
South and Sundarbans West Wildlife Sanctuaries in Bangladesh.[11]
A new Khulna Forest Circle to preserve the forest was created in
Bangladesh in 1993 and a Conservator of Forests has been posted. The
direct administrative head of the Division is the Divisional Forest Officer
who is also based at Khulna. The Divisional Forest Officer has a number
of professional, subprofessional and support staff and logistic supports
for the implementation of necessary management and administrative
activities. The basic unit of management is the compartment. There are
55 compartments in four Forest Ranges and these are clearly
demarcated mainly by natural features such as rives, canals and creeks.
[edit]In popular culture

Idol of Bonbibi

The Sunderbans are celebrated through numerous Bengali folk songs

and dances, often centered 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). The Bengali
folk epic Manasamangal mentions Netidhopani and has some passages
set in the Sunderbans during the heroine Behula's quest to bring her
husband Lakhindar back to life.
The area provides the setting for several novels by Emilio Salgari,
(e.g. The Mystery of the Black Jungle). Padma Nadir Majhi was also
made into a movie by Goutam Ghose. Sundarbaney Arjan Sardar, a
novel byShibshankar Mitra, and Padma Nadir Majhi, a novel by Manik
Bandopadhyay, are based on the rigors of lives of villagers and
fishermen in the Sunderbans region, and are woven into the Bengali
psyche to an extent. Part of the plot of Salman Rushdie's Booker
Prize winning novel, Midnight's Children is also set in the
Sundarbans. Kunal Basu's short story "The Japanese Wife" and the
subsequent film adaptation also take place here. Most of the plot of
prize-winning anthropologist Amitav Ghosh's 2004 novel, The Hungry
Tide, is set in the Sundarbans. The book mentions two accounts of the
Banbibi story of "Dukhey's Redemption."[30]
The Sunderbans has been the subject of numerous non-fiction books,
including The Man-Eating Tigers of Sundarbans by Sy Montegomery for
a young audience, which was shortlisted for the Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Children's Book Award. In Up The Country, Emily Eden discusses her
travels through the Sunderbans.[31] Numerous documentary movies have
been made about the Sunderbans, including the
2003 IMAX productionShining Bright about the Bengal Tiger. The
acclaimed BBC TV series Ganges documents the lives of villagers,
especially honey collectors, in the Sundarbans.
The Sunderbans have been a subject of poems written by different poets
including Sa'd Bin Ard. One example of such poem by Sa'd Bin Ard is as
follows.

Sunderbaner chore
Ga chhom chhom kore-
Hothat kokhon baba
Bagh na eshe dhore.

(It means the chars of the Sunderbans produce a shivering fear because
of the tiger's coming without maintaining any time-table)
[edit]