Sundarbans National Park
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Sundarbans National Park
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Sundarbans National Park
By : N Munal Meitei
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The Sundarbans is a National Park, a Tiger Reserve, a Biosphere Reserve and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world. The Sundarbans is one of the most biologically productive of all natural ecosystems. It is the only mangrove forest inhabited by the tiger in the world. The tiger population here is the largest in India with about 400 tigers. The mangrove habitat supports the population of tigers which have adapted to an almost amphibious life, being capable of swimming for long distances and feeding on fish, crab and water monitor lizards. Its forest and waterways support a wide range of fauna including a number of species threatened with extinction. Two-third of the Sundarbans is in Bangladesh and the rest one-third is in India. It is the largest reserves in the world for the home for Royal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris). It is also home to a variety of bird, reptile and invertebrate species, including the salt-water crocodile.
The present Sundarbans was declared as the Tiger Reserve in 1973 and a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1977. It was declared a National Park on the 4 May, 1984 and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 and also a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in November, 2001. The Sundarbans has also been enlisted among the finalists in the World’s New 7 Wonders of Nature.
The name Sundarbans can be literally translated as “beautiful forest” in the Bengali language (Shundor, “beautiful” and bon, “forest”). The name may have been derived from the Sundari trees (Heritiera fomes) that are abundantly found in this Delta. Alternatively, it has been proposed that the name is a derivative from Samudraban “Sea Forest”. However, the generally accepted view is the one associated with Sundari trees.
The Sundarbans Tiger Reserve has a total geographical area of 2585 km2 with 1437.4 km2 consisting of populated areas and forest covering 1474 km2. The park is made up of 54 small islands and is crisscrossed by several tributaries of the Ganges, Magna and Brahmaputra. It acts as a wetland nursery for marine organisms and also as a climatic buffer against cyclones is a unique natural process. The mangrove ecosystem of the Sundarbans is considered to be unique because of its immensely rich mangrove flora and mangrove-associated fauna. Some 78 species of mangroves have been recorded in the area making it the richest mangrove forest in the world.
The Sundarbans is the only remaining habitat in the lower Bengal Basin for a great variety of faunal species. Species include the Javan rhinoceros and water buffalo, swamp deer and Indian muntjac. Similarly, gharial and narrow-headed softshell turtle became locally extinct within the last 100 years. The other animals are Fishing Cats, Leopard Cats, Macaques, Wild Boar, Indian Grey Mongoose, Fox, Jungle Cat, Flying Fox, Pangolin, Chital, are also found in abundance in the Sundarbans.
High population density, relative to the availability of prey, and the relatively high frequency of encounters with local people is probably largely responsible for the notorious man-eating habits of the Sundarbans tiger. An average of 45 people were killed annually by tigers from 1975-1982. This has caused certain conflicts with local people who use the adjacent Tiger Reserve for collection of honey and firewood and for fishing. On average 500 quintals of honey and 30 quintals of wax are collected each year by local people under license from the West Bengal Forest Department. Aquatic mammals that frequent the tidal waters include the Ganges dolphin, Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphin, Irrawaddy dolphin and finless porpoise.
The Sajnakhali area contains a wealth of water birds, noteworthy residents including Asian open-bill stork, black-necked stork, greater adjutant, white ibis, swamp francolin, white-collared kingfisher, black-capped kingfisher and brown-winged kingfisher. Sundarbans also provides nesting grounds for marine turtles including the olive riley, green and hawksbill. Two of the four species of highly primitive horseshoe crab (Tachypleus gigas and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda) are found here.
Management Plan and Protection
The park has had strict protection since its creation. The core area is free from all human disturbances like collection of wood, honey, fishing and other forest produces. However, in the buffer area fishing, honey collection and wood cutting are permitted in limited form.
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Protection of the park from poaching and theft of forest products is done by well armed forest staff who patrol in motorboats and launches. Forest offices and camps are located at several important parts of the park. Anti-poaching camps are manned by two to three knowledgeable labourers under supervision of concerned beat guard/Forester/Range officer.
Habitat of wildlife is maintained through eco-conservation, eco-development, training, education and research. Ten Forest Protection Committees and 14 Eco-development Committees have been formed in the fringe of Sundarbans Tiger Reserve to help in this regard. Seminars, workshops and awareness camps are organised in the vicinity of park to educate the people on eco-conservation, eco-development and such other issues. Mangrove and other plants are planted in the fringe area to meet the local need of fuel-wood for about 1000 villages and to conserve the buffer area. Conservation of soil is done to maintain the ecological balance. Several sweet waterponds have been dug up inside the park to provide drinking water for the wild animals.
Controlling man-eating tigers is another major activity. The number of casualties has been reduced from 40 to 10 per year. The reduction in number of casualties is as a result of strict control over the movement of the people inside the tiger reserve, alternative income generation and awareness building among people. It is also believed that due to use of human masks and electric human dummies the tigers will stay away from the people. Straying away of the tigers from the nearby villages by way of nylon net fencing is the presently taken as the most successful method. Solar illumination of villages is another success method. Now the youths of the villages are given special training in controlling and the straying away of tigers from the villages.
Climate
The average minimum and maximum temperature is 20 °C and 48 °C respectively. Rainfall is heavy with humidity as high as 80% as it is close to the Bay of Bengal. The monsoon lasts from mid-June to mid-September. Prevailing wind is from the north and north-east from October to mid-March and south west westerlies prevails from mid-March to September. Storms which sometimes develop into cyclones are common during the months of May and October.
Eco-geography, rivers and watercourses
There are seven main rivers and innumerable watercourses forming a network of channels at this estuarine delta. All the rivers have a southward course towards the sea. The eco-geography of this area is totally dependent on the tidal effect of two flow tides and two ebb tides occurring within 24 hours with a tidal range of 3-5m and up to 8m in normal spring tide, inundating the whole area in varying depths. The tidal action deposits silts back on the channels and raising the bed, it forms new islands and creeks contributing to uncertain geomorphology.
Aqua fauna
Some of the fish and amphibians found in the park are Sawfish, Butter Fish, Electric rays, Silver carp, Star Fish, Common Carp, King crabs, Prawn, Shrimps, Gangetic Dolphins, Skipping, Frogs, Common Toads and Tree Frogs.
Reptiles
The Sundarbans National Park houses a large number of reptiles as well, including estuarine crocodiles, chameleons, monitor lizards, turtles, including Olive Ridley, hawksbill, and green turtles; and snakes including pythons, King Cobras, rat snakes, Russell’s vipers, Dog Faced Water Snakes, Chequered Killbacks, and Common Kraits.
Constraints
Though strict protection exists in the park, there are a few loopholes. Due to wandering of the tigers, man-tiger conflict continues to be an issue. The geographical topography with hostile terrain cris-crossed by several rivers and their tributaries, long international border with Bangladesh, fishing trawlers and launches enables poaching and the cutting of wood, affecting the mangrove forests. Lack of staff, infrastructure and lack of funds exacerbate the situation.
Activities & Lodging
The only means of travelling the park is to by boat, down the various lanes formed by the many flowing rivers. Local boats or vessels operated by the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation, namely M Chitrarekha and MV Sarbajaya.
Apart from viewing the wildlife from boat safaris, visitors also visit the Bhagat- pur Crocodile Project, a crocodile breeding farm, Sagar Island, Jambudweep, Sudhanyakali watchtower, Buriidabri Tiger Project, Netidhopani Watchtower, Haliday Island, Kanak, and Sajnekhali Bird Sanctuary. Forest lodge and Forest rest-houses are also available for accommodation at Sajnekhali, Bakkhali and Piyali.
Conclusion
In spite of having so many challenges, the way that Sundarbans is managing by the Island local peoples and West Bengal Forest department are really praiseworthy. Though there are a lot of differences in the habits and habitat of the Royal Bengal Tiger and our lovely Sangai, we find many similar problems between the Sundarbans National Park and our Keibul Lamjao National Park. The thought and approaches here in our Manipur is much different from the villagers in and around the Sundarbans and also the adjoining border peoples of the two nations. Let’s learn something from Sundarbans for the future of the Wild life and also for our lovely Sangai for the sack of humanity.
