Tourism Products of

India
THE SUNDERBANS

By : Nirmal Waghamode
18BMSR0056
Introduction
● The Sundarbans is a mangrove area in the delta formed by the confluence of
Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna Rivers in the Bay of Bengal. It spans from
the Hooghly River in India's state of West Bengal to the Baleswar River in
Bangladesh.
● It comprises closed and open mangrove forests, agriculturally used land,
mudflats and barren land, and is intersected by multiple tidal streams and
channels.
● Four protected areas in the Sundarbans are enlisted as UNESCO World
Heritage Sites, viz Sundarbans National Park, Sundarbans West, Sundarbans
South and Sundarbans East Wildlife Sanctuaries
● The forests provide habitat to 453 faunal wildlife, including 290 bird, 120 fish,
42 mammal, 35 reptile and eight amphibian species
Location
● The Sundarban forest lies in the vast
delta on the Bay of Bengal formed by
the super confluence of the
Ganges,Hooghly,Padma,Brahmaputra
and Meghna rivers across southern
Bangladesh.

● The forest covers 10,000 km2 of which

about 6,000 km2 are in Bangladesh.
Geographical Information
● The Indian part of Sundarbans is estimated to be about 4,110 km2 , of which
about 1,700 km2 is occupied by water bodies in the forms of river, canals and
creeks of width varying from a few metres to several kilometres.
● The Sundarbans is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways,
mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests.
● The interconnected network of waterways makes almost every corner of the
forest accessible by boat.
● The fertile soils of the delta have been subject to intensive human use for
centuries, and the ecoregion has been mostly converted to intensive
agriculture, with few enclaves of forest remaining.
Wildlife
● The Sundarbans provides a unique ecosystem and a rich wildlife habitat.
● According to the 2015 tiger census in Bangladesh, and the 2011 tiger census
in India, the Sundarbans have about 180 tigers (106 in Bangladesh and 74 in
India).
● Most importantly, mangroves are a transition from the marine to freshwater
and terrestrial systems, and provide critical habitat for numerous species of
small fish, crabs, shrimps and other crustaceans that adapt to feed and
shelter
● Fishing cats, macaques, wild boars, common grey mongooses, foxes, jungle
cats, flying foxes, pangolins, and spotted deer are also found in abundance in
the Sundarbans.
● The Sundarbans is an important wintering area for migrant water birds and is
an area suitable for watching and studying avifauna.
● Mammals: It is estimated that there are now 180 Bengal tigers and about 30,000 spotted deer in
the area. The tigers regularly attack and kill humans who venture into the forest, human deaths
ranging from 30–100 per year

● Avifauna: The forest is also rich in bird life, with 286 species including the endemic brown-winged
kingfishers and the globally threatened lesser adjutants and masked fin foots and birds of prey
such as the ospreys, white-bellied sea eagles and grey-headed fish eagles.

● Reptiles and fish: The Sundarbans National Park is home to olive ridley turtle, hawksbill turtle,
green turtle, sea snake, dog-faced water snake, estuarine crocodile, chameleon, king cobra,
Russell's viper, house gecko, monitor lizard, pythons, common krait, green vine snake, checkered
keelback and rat snake.
Crisis
● In India and Bangladesh, millions of people live in the Sundarbans islands and
face losing their homes to rising seas caused by climate change. The region was
the first in the world to record an unfolding climate refugee crisis as people fled an
island lost to the sea. More islands remain at risk of succumbing to the rising
waters.
● As people cut the trees and rising seas bring saline waters, the forest and the land
itself are shrinking. More than a million coastal residents have already migrated
north.
● The landfall of Cyclone Sidr damaged around 40% of Sundarbans in 2007.
● On 9 December 2014 an oil-tanker named Southern Star VII, carrying 358,000
litres of furnace oil,was sunk in the Sela river of Sundarbans after it had been hit
by a cargo vessel. The oil spread over 350 km2 area after the clash, as of 17
December. The slick spread to a second river and a network of canals in the
Sundarbans and blackened the shoreline
Tourist Attractions
● Sundarban National Park
● Sajnakhali Wildlife Sanctuary
● Bhagabatpur Crocodile Sanctuary
● Netidhopani
● Kalashdeep
● Sudhanyakhali Watch Tower
● Halliday Island
● Kanak
● Hiran Point
● Lothian Island Bird Sanctuary
● Tim Kona Island
● Katka
 Source
• https://whc.unesco.org › ... › The ListThe Sundarbans - UNESCO World
Heritage Centre

• https://www.holidify.com › placesSundarban National Park Tourism

(2020) Tiger Reserve, Wildlife Sanctuary – Holidify

• https://www.wwfindia.org › about_s...About Sundarbans | WWF India

• https://en.m.wikivoyage.org › wikiWeb resultsSundarbans – Travel guide

at Wikivoyage

• https://www.nationalgeographic.com › ...Visit the Sundarbans in

Bangladesh and India - National Geographic
Conclusion
Apart from being a unique largest mangrove ecosystem of the world, the
Sundarbans has the world's largest deltaic mangrove forests and is also home to
one of India's most iconic wildlife species - the Royal Bengal Tiger. It is also the
world's largest estuarine forest criss-crossed by hundreds of creeks and
tributaries, intersected by a network of tidal waterways, small islands of salt-
tolerant mangrove forests and mudflats. The interconnected network of waterways
makes almost every nook and corner of the forest accessible by boats or rafts
making it one of the most attractive and alluring places on earth and an
undiscovered paradise.