Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Shahab Uddin on Monday said according to the latest tiger census the number of tigers in the Sundarbans mangrove forest now stands at 114. It is worth mentioning that some 106 tigers were found in the Sundarbans in 2015 by using camera trapping. According to the latest survey which was done in 2018, there are 114 tigers in the forest.
The Sundarbans hosts the world’s largest mangrove forest and a rich ecosystem supporting several hundred animal species, including the endangered Royal Bengal tiger. A report published by United Nations warns us that that Climate change and rising sea levels eventually may wipe out one of the world’s last and largest tiger strongholds within the next 50 years. Bengal Tigers are among the most endangered animals on earth. The number of these beautiful felines is decreasing at a rapid pace. Once the existence of the Royal Bengal Tiger was all over Bangladesh. At present, the Royal Bengal Tiger lives only in the Sundarbans.
We must keep the tiger
habitat out of harmful
projects and adopt the policy of protecting biodiversity
of the Sundarbans rather than
allowing it to be damaged in the name of
development
The more of the Sundarbans that can be conserved—via new protected areas and reducing illegal poaching—the more resilient it will be to future climatic extremes and rising sea levels. Beyond climate change, the Sundarbans are under growing pressure from industrial developments, new roads, and greater poaching. Thus tigers are getting a double whammy—greater human encroachment on the one hand and a worsening climate and associated sea-level rises on the other. But researchers emphasize there is still hope.
As the tigers are on the verge of extinction, we should devise priority projects to facilitate procreation of this endangered species. The government needs to take necessary steps to keep track on the progress of tiger conservation projects through regular pugmark surveys. We must keep the tiger habitat out of harmful projects and adopt the policy of protecting biodiversity of the Sundarbans rather than allowing it to be damaged in the name of development. There is no other place like the Sundarbans left on Earth. We have to look after this iconic ecosystem if we want Bengal tigers to have a chance of survival. In this regard, establishments that are harmful to the Sundarbans should be shut down, and the people who are involved in harming the forest should be punished. Activities such as cutting woods, poaching and building establishments inside the critical area should not be allowed.
