Sundarbans National Park
When was Sundarbans National Park established?
What makes the Bengal tigers in the Sundarbans unique?
What are some threats to Sundarbans National Park?
What type of vegetation dominates Sundarbans National Park?
Sundarbans National Park, large natural area in extreme southeastern West Bengal state, eastern India. The park, created in 1984 as a core area within the larger Sundarbans Tiger Reserve (established 1973), has an area of 514 square miles (1,330 square km). The combined entities occupy and protect a portion of Indiaās section of the Sundarbans region in the vast Padma (Ganges [Ganga])-Brahmaputra River delta shared by West Bengal and southern Bangladesh. The park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987 and was also included in a biosphere reserve established by UNESCO.
The landscape is a swampland made up of a network of tidal creeks, canals, estuaries, and mudflats that experience two tides per day. Continuous erosion and siltation define the physiography of the land.
Biodiversity
The Sundarbans, containing the largest mangrove forest in the world, is home to a diverse range of aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals, many of them endangered or on the brink of extinction. Particularly notable is the regionās large population of Bengal tigers. These big cats are the only population of tigers in the world that have adapted to a semiaquatic life. These apex predators are proficient at hunting terrestrial species such as spotted deer, rhesus monkeys, and wild boars as well as aquatic fauna including crabs, fishes, turtles, and water monitor lizards. In addition to these animals, the fauna of the park includes fishing cats, leopard cats, jungle cats, otters, Indian gray mongooses, pangolins, venomous and nonvenomous snakes, and different species of amphibians. The tidal creeks of the park are home to Irrawaddy dolphins, Ganges river dolphins, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, finless porpoises, estuarine crocodiles, river terrapins, and Ganges sharks. The olive ridley turtle and the green turtle are also found in Sundarbans National Park.
The Bengal tigers of the Sundarbans have had a reputation for preying on humans since the 17th century. Smaller and stockier than their mainland counterparts, the Sundarbans tigers are adept at navigating the semiaquatic, pneumatophore-dotted forested terrain of the region and come in frequent contact with humans in nearby villages or with those who enter the forest to harvest products such as wild honey. An average of 45 people were killed by tigers every year between 1975 and 1982. The numbers have since declined appreciably, largely because of the adoption of countermeasures such as nylon fencing and the use of electrified human decoys. Another unique technique involves wearing face masks on the back of the head; this is said to deter the tiger from attacking, as it mistakes the face mask for a human face watching it.
The Sajnekhali area within the national park is a popular tourist destination, with visitors coming to view its rich and varied birdlife. A significant portion of the parkās avifauna is composed of migratory birds such as the Asian dowitcher and the purple heron. Other bird species recorded here include Asian open-billed storks, white ibis, swamp francolins, gray-headed fishing eagles, short-toed snake eagles, brown fish owls, band-tailed fish eagles, and peregrine falcons, among many others.
The vegetation of Sundarbans National Park has been classified as moist tropical seral forest. Mangroves dominate the flora, and some of the notable species are Heritiera fomes (whose local name sundari, meaning ābeautifulā in Bengali, is thought to be the source of the forestās name), Ceriops decandra, Sonneratia apetala, Bruguiera gymnorhiza, Avicennia officinalis, Rhizophora apiculata, and Excoecaria agallocha. Spear grasses, nipa palms, mangrove date palms, and several species of algae and fungi occur in the tidal waters and soil of Sundarbans National Park.
Threats
Both natural and human-induced factors pose threats to the ecosystem and biodiversity of Sundarbans National Park. Increasing seawater salinity, saltwater intrusion, and rising sea levels endanger salt-sensitive species such as H. fomes, depleting forest cover and threatening the associated biota. Sundarbans mangroves, which act as a cyclone buffer, are also under threat from the rising intensity of tropical cyclones due to climate change. The region is experiencing hydrological changes caused by human activities such as land reclamation, construction of dams, and diversion of water channels. Illegal logging, poaching, harvesting of fishes and prawns, as well as industrial pollution and agricultural runoff are serious problems for the parkās biodiversity and environment.