Source: DTE
Context: The Sundarbans Tiger Reserve (STR) has become India’s second-largest tiger reserve after the National Board for Wildlife approved West Bengal’s proposal to add 1,044.68 sq km. The reserve now covers 3,629.57 sq km, up from the earlier seventh rank.
About Sundarbans Tiger Reserve
What it is
- The Sundarbans Tiger Reserve is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and part of the world’s largest mangrove ecosystem, located in West Bengal.
- It forms a crucial part of India’s Project Tiger network and is globally renowned for its unique mangrove–tiger ecosystem.
Establishment
- Declared a Tiger Reserve in 1973, under the first phase of Project Tiger.
- Became a Biosphere Reserve in 1989, recognized by UNESCO in 2001.
Flora
- Dominated by mangrove vegetation—notably Sundari (Heritiera fomes), Gewa (Excoecaria agallocha), and Golpata (Nypa fruticans).
- Adapted to saline, tidal conditions, with pneumatophores (breathing roots).
Fauna
- Home to the Royal Bengal Tiger (noted for its ability to swim across estuaries).
- Also shelters estuarine crocodiles, fishing cats, water monitor lizards, olive ridley turtles, spotted deer, and numerous bird species like kingfishers and herons.
- Known for rich aquatic biodiversity—including Hilsa and other fish crucial to local livelihoods.
Unique Features
- Only mangrove habitat of the tiger in the world.
- Shared transboundary ecosystem with Bangladesh Sundarbans Reserve Forest.
- Provides natural barrier against cyclones for coastal West Bengal.
- Rich cultural-human interface with local communities like fisherfolk and honey collectors.
- Declared a Ramsar Wetland Site in 2019, adding global conservation significance.
