The Royal Bengal Tiger of Sundarbans is in danger due to rising water levels, may disappear in 35 years

Royal Bengal Tiger of Sundarbans: The Sundarbans delta region, shared by India and Bangladesh, is facing a grave threat due to climate change. Read Manoj Kumar Singh’s special report…

The Sundarbans delta region, shared by India and Bangladesh, is facing a grave threat due to climate change. The sea level is rising at a rate twice as fast as the global average in this region. As a result, the very existence of the Royal Bengal Tiger, which inhabits this region, is under threat. The Sundarbans is one of the largest tiger habitats in the subcontinent and a first-grade tiger conservation unit (TCU). There is also a risk of its extinction in the next 35 years.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has warned

Environmental scientists have warned that if immediate and concrete steps are not taken, the majority of the Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, will be submerged in the sea, including the tiger’s habitat. According to a World Wildlife Fund study, the sea level is expected to rise by about one foot by 2070 in this region. The mangrove forests of Sundarbans protect the coastal area from cyclonic storms, but climate change is also threatening this ecosystem.

World Bank has also sounded the alarm

The World Bank has also warned about the rising water levels in the Sundarbans region. In its report, “Building Resilience for Sustainable Development of Sundarbans,” the World Bank has stated that the Sundarbans are at risk of flooding and cyclonic storms. The rising water level poses a threat to the very existence of the Sundarbans.

Indian Wildlife Institute is monitoring Sundarbans

The Indian Wildlife Institute is monitoring the impact of climate change on the wildlife of Sundarbans. The institute has set up a monitoring center to study the region’s biodiversity and population index.

The slow growth of the tiger population

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has warned that there is very little time left to save the Sundarbans tigers. With 70% of the world’s tigers found in India, there are currently 3,682 wild tigers in the country. The tiger population is growing at a very slow rate. India had around one lakh tigers a century ago, but the number has decreased by 97%. Although the tiger population has been increasing slowly over the past decade and a half, it is still a cause for concern. According to the 2014 census, the tiger population in India has increased by 30% between 2010 and 2015. In 2015, there were 3,000 tigers in India, which increased to 3,200 in 2014. In the past nine years, the tiger population in India has increased by only 482, including the Royal Bengal Tiger.

Sundarbans at a glance

Sundarbans covers an area of 10,000 square kilometers.
60% of it is in Bangladesh and 40% is in India.