The presentation provides an overview of the Sundarbans mangrove forest located in Bangladesh. It introduces the group members giving the presentation and provides a preview of the topics to be covered, which include the location, ecology, flora and fauna, tourism, ecosystem services, threats, and management challenges of the Sundarbans. It highlights that the Sundarbans is home to the Bengal tiger and faces threats from sea level rise, pollution, and development projects, and discusses some ways to combat these issues and protect the ecosystem.

1. Welcome to our
presentation

2. Welcome to
the
Sundarban

3. The Gewa
group is very glad
The audience are here.

4. Introducing with group members
M. S. Mahmud Klanti (ER-14001)
Mitu Ghosh (ER-14009)
Md. Ariful Hasan (ER-14011)
Sadia Akter (ER-14023)
Saima Sharmin (ER-14025)
I. V. Parvin (ER-14039)
Afroza Khatun (ER-14040)
Tasmia Binte Faruk (ER-14051)
Luthfor Rahman (ER-14054)
Manik Shil (ER-13024) (Absent)*
Tawhida Akter (ER-13053)

5. Presentation preview
• Introduction
• Location
• Areas of Sundarban in Bangladesh)
• Geo-ecological profile
• Climate
• Sunderban’s flora and fauna
• Tourism
• Services of Sundarban
• Sundarban in Danger
• How to combat the situation
• Management challenges
• Tiger of sundarban and our motto

6. Introduction
• Literally translated as "beautiful jungle"
• Lies in the vast delta on the Bay of Bengal.
• Covers 10,000 sq.km. of which about 6,000 sq.km. is
in Bangladesh.

7. Location
Sundarban
Mangrove
Forest

8. Location

9. Sundarban
is the largest single block of
tidal halophytic mangrove
forest in the world and
recognised as World
Heritage Site by
UNESCO in1997

10. Type Area (km2) Percent
Forest area 3997 66
Sandbars, grass, bare
ground
115 2
Rivers 1905 32
Total SRF (of which 1397
km2 represented by 3
wildlife sanctuaries)
6017 100
Areas in Sundarban (Bangladesh)
Source: Forest Resources Management Project 1998 (modified)

11. SUNDARBAN: GEO-ECOLOGICAL PROFILE
• The forest floor is 0.91m to 2.11m above mean sea level.
• The soil is a silty clay loam with alternate layers of clay, silt and sand.
• Rivers in the Sundarbans are meeting places of salt water and
freshwater.
• It is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and
small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests.
• Sundarbans is divided into three distinct ecological zones namely
Oligohaline zone, Mesohaline zone, Polyhaline zone

12. Climate
Classified as tropical moist forest.
The average annual maximum and minimum temperatures vary between 30º and 21ºC.
High temperatures occur from mid-March to mid-June and low in December and
January.
The mean maximum temperature for the hottest months has been recorded as 32.4ºC at
Patuakhali, in the east of the Sundarbans.
The mean annual relative humidity varies from 70% at Satkhira to 80% at Patuakhali.
Humidity is highest in June-October and lowest in February.
Annual rainfall in the Sundarbans is in the range of 1640-2000 mm, rainfall increases
from west to the east. Most rainfall occurs during the monsoon.

13. `
Sunderban has a rich and
diversified flora and fauna.

14. Flora of Sundarban
• A variety of plants including trees, shrubs, grasses, epiphytes, and lianas.
• Most trees have pneumatophores for aerial respiration. The prominent species is Sundari (Heritiera
fomes) and Gewa (Excoecaria agallocha).
• Prain (1903) recorded 334 species under 245 genera. Of these 17 are pteridophytes, 87 monocotyledons
and the rest are dicotyledons.
• The plant species include 35 legumes, 29 grasses, 19 sedges, and 18 euphorbias.
• Of the 50 true mangrove plant species recorded, the Sundarbans alone contain 35
• In the Sundarbans 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.

15. Mangrove Flora

16. Mangrove Flora

17. Fauna of Sundarban
It is the last stronghold of the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris)
Important Animal Species:
• Mammals are 49,
• Birds are 314 /320,
• Reptiles are 50,
• Amphibious are 8.
Endangered Species:
• Mammals are 10,
• Birds are 11,
• Reptiles are 16,
• Amphibious are 1.

18. Mangrove wild life and animals
Tigers,
Chital Deer,
Rhesus
Monkey,Red
fiddler crabs
and Hermit
crabs, Ridley
Sea Turtle,
king cobra,
Rock python
and Water
monitor etc.

19. Tourism
Sundarban plays an important role in tourism every year.
Each year ~ 80,000 tourists visited Sundarbans, 98% native and
2% foreigners
Foreign tourism is contributed 42,000 US$/yr in our economy.
The foreign businessmen are investing on sundarban related
project.

20. Natural Beauty

21. Famous spots
• Hiron Point (Nilkamal) for tiger, deer, monkey, crocodiles, birds
and natural beauty.
• Katka for deer, tiger, crocodiles, varieties of birds and monkey,
morning and evening symphony of wild fowls.
• Tiger Point provide opportunities for wild tracking.
• Tin Kona (Island) for tiger and deer.
• Dublar Char (Island) for fishermen. It is a beautiful island
where herds of spotted deer are often seen to graze

22. Provisioning services
Raw materials:
Timber production:The average annual harvest ~4000 m3/year with estimated
revenue earning 0.4 million US$ per year based on 2015 (conversion 75 BD Taka =
1US$
Food production:
 Finfish, crustaceans and honey are the major food products
 Finfish and crustaceans: ~ 41.3 million US$/yr
 Shrimp farming: ~360 million US$/yr
 Honey: average 218 Mt/yr or ~0.727 million US$/yr

23. Provisioning services (con.)
Non-timber forest products
Thatching materials, wax and fuel wood are the major non-timber
forest products supplied by Sundarbans mangrove forest
Fuelwood: 26,500 Mt/yr or 0.54 million US$/yr
Thatching material ,mostly golpata (Nypa fruticans Wurmb) used for roof
covering :75 600 Mt or 1.9 million US$/yr
•
Tanning production: average 10000 Mt/yr or ~2.0 million US$/yr
•
Wax production: average 53.5 Mt/yr or 0.036 million US$/yr

24. Traditional Honey Collection

25. Regulating services
Carbon sink :
Sundarbans is treated as a global carbon sink with ~205 Mt CO2 per
year (FD 2011). The value of this carbon would be US$ 5.13 billions which
could contribute to national economy by selling carbon credit in the global
carbon market

26. Regulating services (con.)
Coastal protection:Bangladesh situated in tropical cyclone prone area and 12
catastrophic cyclones hit the Sundarbans since 1900.
Based on a study Mukherjee et al. (2014) the value of mangrove forest for coastal
protection around 8459.12 US$/ha/yr which equivalent to 5.11 billion US$/yr in
Bangladesh part.

27. Cultural services
Spiritual
Sundarbans has a significant spiritual importance for
the local and neighbouring communities.
Rush Mela (spiritual festive, November): Every year
40-50 thousand people join the celebrations and the
estimated money flow during the event ~ 0.75 million
US$/yr
Bonbibi is a guardian spirit of the forests residents of
the Sundarbans

28. Ecosystem services linkage to poverty alleviation
 Ecosystem services of Sundarbans have significant contribution for poverty alleviation in the
local community.
 Around 25-34% people within the Sundarbans area are extremely poor (earn 1≤ US$/day)
(World bank Report 2010).
 0.75 million people are directly dependent on this ecosystem (IPAC 2010)
 20,000 woodcutters (bawalis) and 7,000 seasonal honey collectors (mouals) depend on the
Sundarbans
 Women also make up 50% of workers in shrimp processing centers (Karim et al. 2006)

29. Sundarban in Danger !!!!!
• Sea-level rising
• Cutting tree randomly
• Destroy eco-system
• Hunting the animals
• Stealing valuable wood
• Climate change
• Natural dislocation

30. Bangladesh and its potential impacts
Year 2020 2050 2100
Sea level rise 10 cm 25 cm 1 m (high end
estimate)
Land below
SLR
2 % of land
(2,500 km2)
4 % of land (6,300
km2)
17.5% of land
(25,000 km2)
Ecosystem
Inundates 15%
of
the Sundarbans.
Inundates 40%
of the
Sundarbans.
The Sundarbans
wouldbe lost.
Salinity Increase Increase Increase
Sea level rise

31. How to combat the sea level rising
Designing and establishing sea-level / climate modeling network
Establishing databases and information systems
Data collection of Sundarbans' resources and their uses
Integrated coastal and marine management
Monitoring the impact of climate change on coral reef, Royal Bengal
Tiger, crocodiles and Sundari tree
Coastal vulnerability and risk assessment

32. How to combat the sea level rising (con.)
Economic valuation of Sundarbans' resources
Improving catchment management
Afforestation and reforestation by salt tolerant species
Increasing waterfront setbacks in beach front areas
Education on climate change and emergency

34. “ Aila”
In the last few decades depletion of the Mangrove Forest is
observed due to Geo-climatic changes in the region including
sudden effect of natural disaster like “Aila (2009)”.

35. Man made hazards
In August 2010, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between
Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and India's state-owned
National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) where they designated to
implement the coal based Rampal power station by 2016.
The proposed project, on an area of over 1834 acres of land, is situated 14
kilometres north of the sundarbans largest mangrove•

38. Risk of RAMPAL
Risk of
Rampal

39. On 9 December, 2014 an oil-tanker named Southern Star VII, carrying 358,000 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 (140 sq mi) area after the clash, as of
December 17.
Oil tanker Accident

40. Impact on Wildlife

41. How to combat the situation
1. Conservation and survey of flora, fauna, forests and
wildlife:
– Prevention and control of pollution
– Afforestation and regeneration of degraded areas
– Protection of the environment, and
– Ensuring the welfare of animals.

42. How to combat the situation (con.)
2. These objectives are fulfilled by the Ministry primarily
through:
– Environmental impact assessment eco-regeneration,
– Assistance to organisations implementing environmental and forestry
programmes,
– Assistance to organisations including animal welfare programmes,
– Promotion of environmental and forestry research, extension, education
and training,

43. How to combat the situation (con.)
– Creation of environmental awareness among all sectors of the
country’s population.
– Accomplishing environmental law
3. Public awareness
– Government taking to proper steps for Sundarban
– Improvement communication facilities
– Security for tourism

44. Management challenges
1. Difficult terrain and poor Infrastructure.
2. Porous international border.
3. Extremely poor fringe Population.
4. Man animal conflict.
5. Water pollution.
6. Global warming.
7. Soil erosion.
8. Exponential increase in number of mechanized boats
9. Large number of vacancies in frontline staff, etc.

45. Wild Tiger Population Survey in Sundarban,
Bangladesh
Year Organization/ Writer Estimated number Estimation method
1975 Hendrichs 350
Interview with forest department
and local people
1971 Forest Department 320 -
1982
Forest Department, Zoology
Department, DU 450 Pugmark Method
1992 Forest Department 359 Interview with the forest worker
1993 Dr. K. M. Tamang 362 Pugmark Method
2004
Forest Department and United
Nation Development Program
(UNDP)
440
(Male-121, Female-298 and
Calf-21)
Pugmark Method

46. Human conflict with tiger

47. Present condition
• Bangladesh Sundarbans has tiger occupancy of 4832 square
kilometers and estimated population of 83 to 130 tigers with a
midpoint of 106.
( Tiger Status Report 2015, prepared by the Forest Department with support of the World Bank)

48. Lets save the tigers
Thanks for hearing us.Any question, Please?