01-21-2006, 10:50 AM
\"Sundarbans is an exotic juxtaposition of romance and adventure…It is an admixture
of pristine virginity of raw nature and awe-inspiring adventure…\"
Sundarbans, The largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world, located in the southern part of Bangladesh…It lies on the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta at the point where it merges with the BAY OF BENGAL… With its array of trees and WILDLIFE the forest is a showpiece of natural history…It is also a centre of economic activities, such as extraction of timber, fishing and collection of HONEY...The forest consists of about 200 islands, separated by about 400 interconnected tidal rivers, creeks and canals…
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The Bangla word ban means forest, and the name Sundarban was coined either from the forests of Sundari tree i.e Sundari-ban, or from the forests of the samudra (sea) i.e, Samudra-ban, or from its association with the primitive tribe Chandra-bandhe which was corrupted into Sundarban…The generally accepted explanation, however, is its derivation from the SUNDARI tree, the most common tree in these forests…The Sundarbans was declared as a Reserve Forest in 1875. About 32,400 hectares of the Sundarbans have been declared as three wildlife sanctuaries, and came under the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999…
In the Sundarbans the saltwater forest is situated in the south-western part where Gewa (E. agallocha), Goran (Ceriops decandra), Keora (Sonneratia apetala), Ora (S. caseolaris), Passur (Xylocarpus mekongensis), Dhundul (X. granatum), Bain (Avicennia alba, A. marina, A. officinales), and other rhizophores, and Hantal (Phoenix pelludosa) dominate…The typical mangrove species dominate the central part of the forest…The moderate saltwater forest covers most of the southern parts of Khulna and Bagerhat districts where Sundari is the dominant species...
There is a thick mat of the NIPA PALM or \'Golpata\' (Nipa fruticans) by the side of almost all the canals…The moderately freshwater zone results from the large amount of water, which flows down the Passur, Haringhata and Burisher, maintaining the surface water at a lower level of salinity…
The Sundarbans hosts a large variety of animals…It is the last stronghold of the BENGAL TIGER (Panthera tigris)..Within the forest habitats there are about 50 species of mammals, about 320 species of inland and migratory birds, about 50 species of reptiles, 8 species of amphibians, and about 400 species of fish…
Besides the spectacular Royal Bengal Tiger, the other notable mammalian FAUNA are Spotted deer (Cervus axis), Barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak), Rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta), Jungle cat (Felis chaus), Leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), the Indian porcupine (Hystrix indica), Otter (Lutra perspicillata), and wild boar (Sus scrofa)…DEER and wild boar constitute the main prey for the tiger… Some species including the Bengal tiger are endangered…
The ecological diversity of the Sundarbans supports a large variety of birds…Among the total number of species recorded, most are resident…Over 50 species are known to be migratory and are mostly represented by the waterfowls…The egrets, storks, herons, bitterns, sandpipers, curlew, and numerous other waders are seen along the muddy banks…There are many species of gulls and terns, especially along the seacoast and the larger waterways…Accipitridae (kites, eagles, vulture, harrier etc) is represented by about 22 species…Nine species of kingfishers are available in the forest…The rich avifaunas of the forest include species of woodpeckers, barbets, owls, bee-eaters, bulbul, shrikes, drongos, starlings, mynas, babblers, thrush, oriole, flycatchers, and many others…
Of about 50 species of reptiles the largest member in the Sundarbans is the Estuarine CROCODILE (Crocodylus porosus), some of which may attain a length of about seven metres…Although once they were abundant in this mangrove habitat, their total number is now estimated to be around 250…Species of lizards, including the Monitor Lizards Varanus, turtles, and snakes are well-represented…Among the snakes, the King Cobra (Ophiophagus Hannah), Russell\'s Viper (Vipera russellii), Rock PYTHON (Python molurus), Banded Krait (Bungarus fasciatus) and several species of sea snakes are notable…
The Sundarbans suports nearly 400 species of fishes in its varied aquatic habitats; these include both the pelagic and demersal fishes…Many species use these habitats as nursery grounds…No aquaculture or fish farming is allowed in the Sundarbans…The Forest Department controls the fish catch from the area…
Among the invertebrates some molluscs and crustaceans constitute important fisheries resources…About 20 species of shrimps, 8 species of lobsters, 7 species of crabs, several species of gastropods, and 6 species of pelecypods have been reported from the Sundarbans…Among the shrimps Penaeus monodon and Metapenaeus monoceros and the mud crab Scylla serrata are commercially important…Insects are varied, the most important being the honeybee Apis dorsata… Locally known as \'Mouals\', the professional bee collectors gather honey for three to four months during the flowering season taking permission from the Forest Department…The forest is very rich in its spider fauna (Araneae)…Nearly 300 species under 22 families have been recorded from the mangrove forest habitats..
Several plant-based industries have been developed here…The most important ones are the newsprint and hardboard mills in Khulna…The raw material for the former is gewa and for the latter sundari…Other important plant-based industries are match factories and boat building…The forest is a good source of fuel, tannins, thatching, wooden articles, medicinal plants, and fodder…The forest is also a major source of honey and bee wax. Aegiceras corniculatum, Ceriops decandra, Nipa species, Derris species, and Hibiscus tiliaceous are the major honey plants…
Most frequently visited sites in the Sundarbans include Katka, Hiron Point (known commonly as Nilkamal), Dublar Char and Tiger Point (Kachi Khali)…Katka attracts tourists for its landscape and wildlife…There is a forest rest house here and an observation tower…Hiron Point also has a rest house and an observation tower…Dublar Char is an island with a beautiful beach…The other attraction of the island is the fishing activities that take place every year between mid-October and mid-February…Fishermen from other places of the country, especially from Chittagong, assemble here during the period to catch fish and dry them on the sunny beach…The honey collectors go into the forests during April-May…
Only a few people live permanently in or around the Sundarbans…They include the bawalis (collectors of golpata), mouals (honey collectors) and woodcutters…Their dwellings are usually at the edge of the forest and the houses are built on platforms supported on 3-5 m high poles of wood or BAMBOO…Some people, especially the bedyas (gypsy) live on boats…
This is indeed a land for the sportsmen, the anglers and the photographers with its abundance of game, big and small, crocodile, wild boar, deer, pythons, wild-birds and above all the Royal Bengal Tiger, cunning, ruthless and yet majestic and graceful..For the less adventurously inclined, there are ducks and snipes, herons and coots, yellow-lags and sandpipers...It is also the land for the ordinary holiday makers who desire to rest or wander around at will to refresh their mind and feast their eyes with the rich treasure that nature has so fondly bestowed...
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