Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
needed draining and systematic development to
become economically productive regions. With
the Indian Forest Act of 1878, the British desig-
nated sections of the wetlands as Reserved
Forests (Gopal and Chauhan 2006). This catego-
rization ensured greater government control
over extraction activities and proi ts.
Today the Gangetic Delta is one of the most
densely populated and intensively cultivated
regions of the world, and this has placed enor-
mous demands on the Sundarbans ecosystem.
Several million people live across parts of the
Sundarbans. In addition, the Sundarbans is
located at the mouths of two of South Asia's
largest rivers, the Ganges and Brahmaputra,
draining a combined total of 1.7 million km
2
(Allison 1998). They are inl uenced by upstream
developments occuring across their drainage
basins, which span i ve countries. Dam con-
struction and water-diversion activities, erosion
due to upstream land-use conversions, pollution
from urban, industrial and agricultural activities,
and resource extraction in the form of timber
harvesting, i shing, aquaculture, hunting and
trapping all play inl uential roles in shaping the
current health and future viability of this system.
Since the end of the British colonial period
in 1947 and the subsequent partitioning of the
subcontinent, conservation and management of
the Sundarbans lie in the hands of two separate
governments with two sets of priorities respond-
ing to the distinct needs of the region's people.
Recognizing the ecological importance of this
ecosystem, both India and Bangladesh estab-
lished nature reserves during the 1970s to
protect sections of the Sundarbans from devel-
opment pressures.
The wetlands are well known for their biodi-
versity and the Royal Bengal tiger (
Panthera
tigris tigris
) is likely their most famous resident.
Studies have recorded some 350 species of vas-
cular plants, in excess of 300 species of birds
including a large number of migratory species,
numerous invertebrates, and just under 50
species of mammals within the Indian and
Bangladeshi sections of the wetlands (Interna-
tional Union for Conservation of Nature 1997).
Within the Sundarbans, only about 250 Bengal
tigers remain (Project Tiger 2011). Hunting,
poaching and habitat loss have contributed to a
rapid decline from an estimated 40,000 tigers
across the subcontinent at the turn of the twen-
tieth century.
India initiated Project Tiger in 1972, which
sought to provide protection for the last remain-
ing tiger populations found in small isolated
pockets across the country. The Sundarbans
Tiger Reserve was established in 1973 with over
2585 km
2
of land and water to protect its key
poster species, the Royal Bengal tiger. The
reserve later included a national park covering
some 1330 km
2
within its boundaries. This des-
ignation meant a complete cessation of develop-
ment activity or local resource use from within
the park (Project Tiger 2011). The Sundarbans
National Park was listed as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site in 1987, while the entire Sundar-
bans ecosystem was declared a Biosphere
Reserve in 1989.
Across the border, Bangladesh similarly
established the Sundarbans West (715 km
2
), Sun-
darbans East (312 km
2
) and Sundarbans South
(369 km
2
) Wildlife Sanctuaries. Extending across
several deltaic islands, the sanctuaries offered
conservation management and protection under
the Bangladesh Wildlife Act of the 1970s. There
are no villages established within the sanctuar-
ies, while activities such as honey gathering,
wood extraction, i shing, and the extraction of
golpatta leaves (
Nypa fruticans
) used for thatch
material are regulated by the Forest Department
(International Union for Conservation of Nature
1997). Even so, illegal extractive activities includ-
ing hunting and poaching continue to trouble
the region.
Despite these conservation efforts, the sheer
demand for resources and space in this densely
settled delta complicates efforts to balance
meeting human and ecosystem needs. Illegal
poaching, trapping, i shing and felling of wood
continue to pose challenges for ofi cials. During
the twentieth century several major animal
species saw local extinctions from the Sundar-
bans. These included the Indian Javan rhinoc-
eros (
Rhinoceros sondaicus inermis
), the gaur
(
Bos gaurus
) and the mugger crocodile (
Croco-
dylus palustris
) among others (International
Union for Conservation of Nature 1997).
