The Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve

The Sunderban Biosphere Reserve

The Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve is known for its rich biodiversity - flora and fauna. Locally known as Badabon is regarded as the richest biodiversity hotspot in India. A recent Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) states that Sunderbans is home to one-third of India’s bird species.

Sunderban is known for coastal forest mainly made up of mangroves that serve as a biological buffer between the sea and land. The Sundarbans are the world's largest mangrove delta. The name Sundarbans is thought to be derived from Sundari (Heritiera fomes), the name of the large mangrove trees that are most plentiful in the area. Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees, also called halophytes, and are adapted to live in harsh coastal conditions.

The Sundarbans is of universal importance for globally endangered species including the Royal Bengal Tiger, Ganges and Irrawaddy dolphins, estuarine crocodiles and the critically endangered endemic river terrapin (Batagur baska). It is the only mangrove habitat in the world for Panthera tigris tigris species.

Sunderban was declared as the core area of Sunderban Tiger Reserve in 1973, followed by a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1977.

It was designated as a National Park on 4th May 1984.

In 1987, it was granted the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site.

From 1989 onwards, it is considered a World Network of Biosphere Reserve (Man and Biosphere Reserve).

It is the 27th Ramsar Site since February, 2019 and the largest protected wetland in India.

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