UPSC Express

Animal diversity of Sundarbans

• Mammalian species- Asian small-clawed Otter, Gangetic Dolphin, Grey and Marsh Mongoose and the wild Rhesus Monkey.
• Bird species- Osprey, Brahminy Kite, White-Bellied Sea Eagle, Rose-ringed parakeets, flycatchers and kingfishers.
• Turtles- Olive Ridley and Hawskbill sea turtles and the River Terrapin.
• Lizards- Monitor Lizards and Geckos.
• Snakes- King cobra, monocled cobra, Russell’s viper, common and banded kraits.
• Butterflies, moths, crustaceans like crabs, shrimp and prawns are also found.

Threats

• Anthropogenic pressure and natural threats have led to the shrinking of mangrove swamp habitat, and it has further led to the declining of mammals in Sundarbans.
• For example:- Barking deer and Hog deer and Asiatic Wild Water Buffalo etc are not found in Sundarbans anymore.

Sundarbans 

• It is a vast forest in the coastal region of the Bay of Bengal.
• The area itself gets its name from the Mangrove trees, Sundari (Heritiera fomes) trees in the region.
• It is located in the delta region of Padma, Meghna and Brahmaputra river basins.
• It is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world.
• It covers approximately 10,000 square kilometres of which 60% is in Bangladesh and the remaining in India.
• It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Zoological Survey of India

• It is a premier Indian organisation in zoological research and studies, established in 1916 .
• Its headquarters are at Kolkatta.
• Its objective is to promote the survey, exploration and research of the fauna in the region.
• The activities of the ZSI are coordinated by the Conservation and Survey Division under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.