- Formerly:
- Sunderbunds
Sundarbans
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What is the Sundarbans?
The Sundarbans is a large area of forest and saltwater swamp. It makes up the lower part of the Padma (Ganges)-Brahmaputra River delta in both southeastern West Bengal state, northeastern India, and southern Bangladesh. The area extends about 160 miles (260 km) along the Bay of Bengal and reaches inland approximately 50 miles (80 km). The total area covers roughly 3,860 square miles (10,000 square km), with three-fifths in Bangladesh.
The Sundarbans notably has the largest mangrove forest in the world and is home to many rare and endangered species, such as Bengal tigers.
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Where is the Sundarbans located?
The Sundarbans is a vast forest and saltwater swamp located in the lower part of the Padma (Ganges)-Brahmaputra River delta in southeastern West Bengal state, northeastern India, and southern Bangladesh. It stretches approximately 160 miles (260 km) along the Bay of Bengal, from the Hugli River estuary in India to the western segment of the Meghna River estuary in Bangladesh, and extends inland for about 50 miles (80 km). The total area of the Sundarbans, including both land and water, is roughly 3,860 square miles (10,000 square km), with about three-fifths located in Bangladesh.
The Sundarbans is known for its mangrove forests and diverse animal species, including the Bengal tiger. Conservation efforts in the area include the creation of the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve in 1973 and the Sundarbans National Park in 1984.
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What makes the Sundarbans special or unique?
The Sundarbans is a unique region notable as a vast forest and saltwater swamp in the Padma (Ganges) - Brahmaputra River delta. It is known for its high concentration of sundri trees, from which the name Sundarbans is derived, and its halophytic species. The area is a refuge for diverse animal species, including the Bengal tiger, and it is one of the tiger's last preserves. Conservation efforts have led to the establishment of reserves and parks, recognizing the region's ecological importance.
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What types of plants and animals live in the Sundarbans?
The Sundarbans, a vast forest and saltwater swamp in the Padma (Ganges [Ganga])-Brahmaputra River delta, is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna.
Dominant plants in the mangrove swamps include sundari (Heritiera fomes), gewa or gengwa (Excoecaria agallocha), and nipa palms (Nypa fruticans).
The Sundarbans are renowned for being a refuge for a variety of animal species, many of which are rare and endangered. It is one of the last preserves for Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris). Other mammals include spotted deer, wild boars, otters, wildcats, and Ganges river dolphins (Platanista gangetica). Reptiles and amphibians include crocodiles, Indian pythons, cobras, and marine turtles. The region hosts over 250 bird species, such as hornbills, storks and other waders, kingfishers, white ibis, and raptors like sea eagles.
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How do people who live near the Sundarbans use its resources?
The Sundarbans is a vast forest and saltwater swamp in the Padma (Ganges)-Brahmaputra River delta in India and Bangladesh. People living near the Sundarbans use its resources in a variety of ways. The forests provide timber and other forest products, while the surrounding waters are a source of fish and shellfish. The area is known for its unique mangrove forests, which support a variety of plant and animal life, including the Bengal tiger.
However, human activities like forest removal and upstream water diversion for irrigation have led to increased salinity in the mangrove swamps, especially in the Indian part of the territory. Additionally, tribal communities in India face challenges related to policies, control by forest departments, and limited financial security due to state control over commercial forest products.
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What environmental challenges does the Sundarbans face today?
The Sundarbans faces several environmental challenges today. Human activity, especially forest removal, has accelerated erosion. The diversion of river water upstream for irrigation increases salinity in the mangrove swamps further inland, particularly in India. The Sundarbans is a refuge for rare and endangered animal species, including Bengal tigers.
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Sundarbans, vast tract of forest and saltwater swamp forming the lower part of the Padma (Ganges [Ganga])-Brahmaputra River delta in southeastern West Bengal state, northeastern India, and southern Bangladesh. The tract extends approximately 160 miles (260 km) west-east along the Bay of Bengal from the Hugli River estuary in India to the western segment of the Meghna River estuary in Bangladesh and reaches inland for about 50 miles (80 km) at its broadest point. A network of estuaries, tidal rivers, and creeks intersected by numerous channels, it encloses flat, densely forested, marshy islands. The total area of the Sundarbans, including both land and water, is roughly 3,860 square miles (10,000 square km), about three-fifths of which is in Bangladesh.
The name Sundarbans is thought to be derived from sundri or sundari (Heritiera fomes), the name of the large mangrove trees that are most plentiful in the area. The forestland transitions into a low-lying mangrove swamp approaching the coast, which itself consists of sand dunes and mud flats. Mangrove forests constitute about two-fifths of the Sundarbans region’s overall surface area, with water covering roughly half of that area. The landscape is constantly being transformed by the erosional forces of the sea and wind along the coast and by the enormous loads of silt and other sediments that are deposited along the myriad estuaries. Human activity has also altered the landscape, notably through forest removal, which accelerates erosion. In addition, because considerable amounts of river water have been diverted upstream for irrigation and other uses, salinity in the mangrove swamps has moved farther inland, especially in the Indian sector of the territory.
Sundari, gewa or gengwa (Excoecaria agallocha), nipa palms (Nypa fruticans), and other halophytic (salt-tolerant) species are the dominant flora in the mangrove swamps. The Sundarbans region is renowned as a refuge for a variety of animal species, many of them rare and endangered. Notably, it is one of the last preserves of Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris), which are found in relative abundance there. Other mammals include spotted deer, wild boars, otters, wildcats, and Ganges river dolphins (Platanista gangetica), but several species that once inhabited the region—including Javan rhinoceroses, guar, water buffalo, and spotted deer—are now believed to be extinct there. Several dozen reptile and amphibian species are found in the Sundarbans, notably crocodiles, Indian pythons, cobras, and marine turtles. The region is home to more than 250 bird species—both seasonal migrants and permanent residents—including hornbills, storks and other waders, kingfishers, white ibis, and raptors such as sea eagles.
Much of the area has long had the status of a forest reserve, but conservation efforts in India were stepped up with the creation of the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve in 1973. Sundarbans National Park, established in 1984, constitutes a core region within the tiger reserve; it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. In addition, three noncontiguous wildlife sanctuaries have been set up in Bangladesh’s portion of the Sundarbans. The sanctuaries and areas adjacent to them were collectively named a World Heritage site in 1997. UNESCO has also demarcated the entire Sundarbans region as a biosphere reserve.