Save the Sundarbans

FE Team | Published: January 22, 2013 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Rapid deterioration in mangrove health is taking place in the Sundarbans, resulting in disappearance of as much as 200 metres of coastal forest in a single year. A report, published on January 11 in a publication called Remote Sensing by scientists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), states that as human development thrives and global temperature continues to rise, natural protection from tidal waves and cyclones is being degraded at alarming rates. This will inevitably lead to loss of species in the rich bio-diversity of the world if nothing is done to stop it. ZSL's Dr Nathalie Pettorelli, senior author of the paper says, "Our results indicate a rapidly retreating coastline that cannot be accounted for by the regular dynamics of the Sundarbans. Degradation is taking place fast, weakening this natural shield for India and Bangladesh." The name 'Sundarbans' in Bangla can be literally translated as 'beautiful forest'. The area is the largest block of existing mangrove forest in the world, being home to almost 500 species of reptile, fish, bird and mammals, including the endangered Royal Bengal tiger. The Sundarbans is a critical tiger habitat, one of only a handful of remaining 440 tigers in Bangladesh. To lose the Sundarbans would be to move a step closer to the extinction of these majestic animals. Although mangroves are rare, they are an important barrier against climate change, providing protection to coastal areas from tsunamis and cyclones. They are also the most carbon rich forests in the tropics with high carbon sequestration potential, meaning their degradation and loss substantially reduce our ability to mitigate and adapt to predicted changes in climatic conditions. Mangroves comprise less than one per cent of all forest areas across the world, amounting to roughly half the size of the UK. It is essential that the protection of mangroves becomes a priority, particularly for the charismatic species, which will disappear with them if no action is taken to preserve their habitat. ZSL's chief mangrove scientific advisor Jurgenne Primavera says, "Mangrove protection is urgent, given the continuing threats to the world's remaining 14 to 15 million hectares of mangroves from aquaculture land development and over-exploitation." Tarequl Islam Munna Shaymoli, Dhaka munna_tareq@yahoo.com