The Sundarbans is a vast forest in the coastal region of the Bay of Bengal, considered one of the natural wonders of the world, it was recognised in 1997 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Bangladeshi and Indian parts of the Sundarbans, while in fact adjacent parts of the uninterrupted landmark, have been listed separately in the UNESCO World Heritage List: as “Sundarbans” and “Sundarban National Park”respectively. The Sundarbans are a network of marine streams, mud shores and mangrove forests. The region is known to contain numerous species of animals, birds and reptiles, including Royal Bengal Tiger, Chital Deer, Crocodile and Snakes . On 21 May 1992, the Sundarbans was recognized as a Ramsar Site of ecological importance.

ANIMAL DIVERSITY IN SUNDARBAN :-

• The Sundarbans provides a unique ecosystem and a rich wildlife habitat. According to the 2015 tiger census in Bangladesh, and the 2011 tiger census in India, the Sundarbans have about 180 tigers (106 in Bangladesh and 74 in India).
• There is much more wildlife here than just the endangered 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, shrimps and other crustaceans that adapt to feed and shelter, and reproduce among the tangled mass of roots, known as pneumatophores, which grow upward from the anaerobic mud to get the supply of oxygen. Fishing cats, macaques, wild boars, common grey mongooses, foxes, jungle cats, flying foxes, pangolins, and spotted deer are also found in abundance in the Sundarbans.
• A 1991 study has revealed that the Indian part of the Sundarbans supports diverse biological resources including at least 150 species of commercially important fish, 270 species of birds, 42 species of mammals, 35 reptiles and 8 amphibian species, although new ones are being discovered. 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 many species which are now extinct elsewhere in the country. Two amphibians, 14 reptiles, 25 aves and five mammals are endangered. The Sundarbans is an important wintering area for migrant water birds and is an area suitable for watching and studying avifauna.

THREATS FACED BY SUNDARBAN ANIMALS :-

Natural hazards

According to a report created by UNESCO, the landfall of Cyclone Sidrdamaged around 40% of Sundarbans in 2007.

Man made hazards

• In August 2010, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and India’s state-owned National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) where they designated to implement the coal-fired Rampal power station by 2016. The proposed project, on an area of over 1,834 acres of land, is situated 14 kilometres north of the Sundarbans. This project violates the environmental impact assessment guidelines for coal-based thermal power plants.
• On 9 December 2014 an oil-tanker named Southern Star VII, carrying furnace oil, was sunk in the Sela river of Sundarbans after it had been hit by a cargo vessel.

Overfishing :

The global overfishing crisis facing the world’s oceans has effects far beyond the directly overfished population. Sundarban is no exception. The ecological balance of food chains and mangrove fish communities can also be altered.

Pollution:

Fertilizers, pesticides, and other toxic man-made chemicals carried by river systems from sources upstream can kill animals living in mangrove forests, while oil pollution can smother mangrove roots and suffocate the trees.

Climate change:

• Mangrove forests require stable sea levels for long-term survival. They are therefore extremely sensitive to current rising sea levels caused by global warming and climate change.
• Sundarban represents an unique biodiversity system in Indian Environment. The rich faunal diversity constitute a pristine and delicate part of its forest. Addressing its concerns, threats should be the priority in order to preserve this specious diversity.