Wildlife - Sundarban

Protection Status of the Sundarban

The Sundarban Forest covers 10,000 km² of mangrove forest west of the main outflow of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Malancha rivers. Around 60 % of this area is part of Bangladesh territory and entirely gazetted Forest Reserve, which was a phased process starting in 1885. The remaining 40 % is part of India. Within the Sundarban Reserved Forest (SRF). 3 Wildlife Sanctuaries were established in 1974 under the Bangladesh Wildlife Act of the same year. Around the SRF the Sundarban Biodiversity Conservation Project has identified a so-called "Impact Zone" where most of the direct users of the forest are residing.

Significance of the Sundarban biodiversity

The Sundarban ecosystem is characterised by a very dynamic environment due to the effect of tide, flooding, salinity and cyclones. As a result several remarkable species are found such as estuarine crocodile (Crocodilus porosus), spotted deer (Axis axis), dolphins (Platanista gangetica, Orcaella brevirostris, Peponocephala electra, Neophocaena phocaenoides), marine turtles (Caretta caretta, Chelonia mydas, Eretmochelys imbricata, Lepidochelys olivacea and Dermochelys coriacea) and, the flagship species, the Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris).

The biodiversity is represented by the following taxonomic groups:

• over 40 mammal species

• over 270 bird species

• over 45 reptile species

• at least 11 amphibian species

• over 120 fish species

• an unknown number of invertebrates

• more than 330 plant species

The Sundarban tiger population is supposed to be the largest surviving tiger population in the world. Estimates of the number of tigers in the Bangladesh Sundarban vary between 300 and 400. The estimates for the deer in this area are 50-80,000, for wild boar 20,000, smooth Indian otter (Lutra perspicillata) 20,000 and rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) 40,000 to 70,000.

The colourful bird life along the waterways includes species such as kingfishers (9 species), raptors (38 species), herons, egrets, storks, sandpipers, whimbrel, curlew, gulls, terns, woodpeckers, barbets, shrikes, drongosa, mynahs, minivets, babblers and many others. Lucky birders may catch a glimpse of masket finfoot (Heliopais personata).

Threats

The SRF is surrounded by a very densely populated area, therefore human pressure is important. Around 1.2 million local users reside seasonally in the area for fishing and other resource use activities. Commercial hunting was a problem mainly before the 1970s and this resulted particularly in a serious depletion of the crocodile populations and to a lesser extent to the deer population. Although the protection has improved significantly in the last decades, illegal hunting is still occurring on an incidental basis and fishery is having an adverse impact on the populations of the remaining turtle and crocodile populations as these animals drown frequently in fishing nets.

Due to natural processes the role of the Sundarban to discharge the water of the Ganges and Brahmaputra catchment is decreasing as main waterways are shifting eastwards. As a result the salinity of the Sundarban is increasing, particularly in the western region. Further, the total annual discharge is decreasing due to intensifying land use (dams, irrigation) upstream. The role of this change is not yet clear, but is evident that it will influence wildlife populations and vegetation in the long term.

However, the main threat today may come from outside the area in the form of pollution. On the northern edge of the area, Mongla, Bangladesh� second largest port, is situated. This port and its associated marine traffic is a frequent source of oil spills and there is a permanent risk of accidents with chemicals. Moreover, toxic products (pesticides, etc.) enter the system due to upstream pollution in the huge Ganges catchment. Pollution may be a direct source of mortality, but it may also reduce the health, increasing the mortality rate on the long term. Many products such as pesticides have also been proved to reduce the reproductivity (birth rate) in animal populations.

A future threat is the exploitation of mineral gas, which is abundant in the underground of the Sundarban.

Some species extinct during the last century are:
javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus)
water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)
swamp deer (Cervus duvauceli)
gaur (Bos gaurus)
hog deer (Axis porcinus)
marsh crocodile (Crocodilus palustris)
 

SBCP Wildlife component

The SBCP Wildlife components involves:

1. the initiation and support of a number of studies and surveys

2. the elaboration of an integrated wildlife management plan

Studies and surveys

(1)  Tiger

Although the tiger population is the largest in the world, it numbers only several hundred individuals and it is isolated from other populations. Incidental mortality due to disease, sudden prey decrease or pollution constitutes, therefore, a serious risk for the survival of the Sundarban tiger. Apart from that, the interaction with humans in the area, particularly the killing of humans by tiger, complicates the management of the area. Careful scientifically based management is therefore required for appropriate conservation of this species. Research regarding tiger will focus on population size and dynamics, distribution and tiger - human conflicts.

(2)  Deer

Deer is the most important herbivore in terms of number and biomass (1150 kg/km²) and deer grazing and browsing is a main factor in the structure of the vegetation cover. Moreover, deer is the main prey of the Sundarban tiger. Deer research will focus therefore on: the distribution, habitat utilisation, food availability, drinking water dependency, the impact of grazing/browsing, and population dynamics.

(3)  Other surveys and studies

Other surveys and studies that will be carried out by SBCP include marine mammals, birds, crocodiles and turtles, providing essential information for management planning and monitoring. Additional studies on hunting and vegetation will be carried out.
 

Management

The principal goal will be to insert wildlife management into the current management system that focuses mainly on utilisation of other resources, particularly forestry, but also fishery and non-wood forest products. This requires institutional changes in the Forest Department, which is responsible for the management of the area, training and equipping of its staff, a revised policy, and up to date legislation which is enforceable. A new management plan will follow an integrated approach involving all sectors.

The management plan will address the management of habitat, for example the location of freshwater drinking ponds (to respond to increasing salinity) and maintenance of the grasslands that are crucial for deer. Nesting species such as crocodiles and turtles need extra protection. For crocodiles a restocking programme, including rearing, is in process.

The current zoning of the area will be reviewed. Appropriate zoning is crucial for a sufficient representation of ecological zones, protection of specific key habitats such as nesting sites, ecological infrastructure and management of other uses (e.g. fisheries, tourism, non-wood forest products). A proposal is in process for a new sanctuary in the fresh water zone in the north of the SRF in order to represent the fresh water habitat as well in the protected area system. This zone may be appropriate for the reintroduction of buffalo, marsh crocodile and rhino.