SUNDARBAN
Wildlife refers to the animals
and related plants in a state of nature, or the species of fauna that are not
domesticated or tame and are also indigenous to an area, region or range. The
expression is relatively recent in origin dating to Richard Jefferies' 1879
work discussing the various animal species in the Wiltshire Downs in southern
Britain. Jefferies insisted, “glance into the hedgerow, the copse, or stream,”
and “there" you find "nature’s children as unrestrained in
their wild, free life as they were in the …backwoods of primitive England.” The
term wildling is much older, however, as is wildness from which wildlife is
derivative, being used for example by William Shakespeare to refer to those
qualities of living things not under the influence or control of humans.
Charles Darwin when referring to artificial selection... More »
The Sundarbans covers 10,000 km2 of land and water (more than half of
it in India, the rest in Bangladesh) in the Ganges delta. It contains the
world's largest area of mangrove forests. A number of rare or endangered
species live in the park, including tigers, aquatic mammals, birds and
reptiles.
Criterion
: The
Sundarbans is the largest area of mangrove forest in the world and the only one
that is inhabited by the tiger. The land area in the Sundarbans is constantly
being changed, moulded and shaped by the action of the tides, with erosion
processes more prominent along estuaries and deposition processes along the
banks of inner estuarine waterways influenced by the accelerated discharge of
silt from sea water. Its role as a wetland nursery for marine organisms and as
a climatic buffer against cyclones is a unique natural process.
Criterion
(x): The
mangrove ecosystem of the Sundarbans is considered to be unique because of its
immensely rich mangrove flora and mangrove-associated fauna. Some 78 species of
mangroves have been recorded in the area making it the richest mangrove forest
in the world. It is also unique as the mangroves are not only dominant as
fringing mangroves along the creeks and backwaters, but also grow along the
sides of rivers in muddy as well as in flat, sandy areas.
The
Sundarbans support a wealth of animal species including the single largest
population of tiger and a number of other threatened aquatic mammals such as
the Irrawaddy and Ganges River dolphins. The site also contains an exceptional
number of threatened reptiles including the king cobra and significant
populations of the endemic river terrapin which was once believed to be
extinct. The property provides nesting grounds for marine turtles including the
olive riley, green and hawksbill. Two of the four species of highly primitive
horseshoe crab (Tachypleus gigas and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda) are found
here. The Sajnakhali area, listed as an Important Bird Area, contains a wealth
of waterfowl and is of high importance for migratory birds.
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