Assalamualaikum. Now I am going to give a presentation on Ecosystem function of sundarban forest.
The
name of the forest is thought to be derived from ‘Sundori’, a mangrove tree commonly found in this
forest. The Sundarbans cover an area of about 10,000 km 2 land 60% of it being located in coastal region
in Khulna division of Bangladesh and the rest in West Bengal of India. Covering such a wide area and
one-third of it being covered by water, Sundarbans is considered to be the largest mangrove forest in the
world. In 1997, the Sundarbans in Bangladesh was declared as UNESCO World heritage site in order to
mark the importance of its’ rich ecological diversity.
The ecosystem of Sundarbans is primarily of coastal mangrove wetland ecosystem type. This type is
formed by mixture of freshwater from rivers and saline water from ocean, making the water salty. The
flow and accumulation of salty water above land favours growth of salt-tolerant trees like goran and
gewa. These trees are habitat for a wide range of insects and birds and acts as food source for many
herbivores. Other than this type, terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are found. Terrestrial ecosystems is
formed of land and species that are adapted to live on land. One of the notable terrestrial animal species
in Sundarbans is royal Bengal tiger. As aquatic ecosystem about one third of the forest comprises of
canals and tributaries. This type of ecosystem harbors a variety of fishes and also acts as breeding
grounds for some amphibians. Ganges river dolphin is an example of a species that is unique to
sundarban aquatic ecosystems.
The Sundarbans forest provides a wide range of ecosystem services to people. Firstly, it is ecologically
significant as it acts as a carbon storehouse and consists of a rich diversity of both animal and plant
species. Secondly, it is economically important as millions of depends on it for their income and
livelihood by catching fish and collecting timbers. Also, tourism in Sundarbans contributes to the
economy of the country. It is culturally important as indigenous communities practices cultural rituals
here and also practices traditional livelihoods such as, fishing and honey collection. Lastly, its natural
beauty attracts tourists and as a result, contributes to ecotourism opportunities by creating awareness to
tourists about the importance of the mangrove forest.
Some of the anthropogenic activities are posing a serious threat to its ecosystem. This includes
overexploitation of forest resources mainly for timber, illegal hunting of animals and converting the
forest into agricultural land. Along with these, waterways in Sundarbans are sometimes used to
transport oil and the leakage of oil from tankers can significantly harm the ecosystem. The governments
of India and Bangladesh are working together to conserve Sundarban. Some of the government efforts
to conserve Sundarbans includes total ban on capturing animals and cutting trees, creating alternative
employment opportunities for local people living around the forest so that they don't cut down trees
unnecessarily, conducting smart patrolling by forest department to control crimes and banning
commercial vessels from using the waterways of sundarban to prevent oil spillage.
To eliminate the negative impacts of human activities on ecosystem, the existing laws and regulations
should be strictly enforced and maintained. Additionally, the existing surveillance can be enhanced by
regularly surveying on animals and by increasing research on ecosystem conservation to find new ways
of protecting animal species. By preserving Sundarban, we can ensure sustainability of the forest so that
the future generations can continue to be benefitted from the services provided by the forest.
