Imagine a forest that floats on water, where trees breathe through roots sticking out of the mud, and tigers swim like Olympians across wide rivers. This is not a fantasy world; this is the Sundarbans. Located at the southern tip of West Bengal, where the mighty Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers meet the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Sundarbans is more than just a forest. It is a biological marvel, a protective shield for millions of humans, and a final frontier for some of the planet’s most unique wildlife. As we stand in the middle of a global climate crisis, the health of this unique ecosystem is no longer just a local issue—it is a matter of national and global urgency.
The Significance: More Than Just Mud and Trees
The Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world, shared between India and Bangladesh. Its significance goes far beyond its beauty. Think of the Sundarbans as a giant sponge and a shield. When cyclones roar in from the Bay of Bengal, these mangroves act as the first line of defence. Their tangled roots trap sediment and slow down the violent waves, saving cities like Kolkata from devastating floods. Biologically, it is a powerhouse. It acts as a nursery for fish and crustaceans (like crabs and shrimp) that feed millions of people in eastern India. Furthermore, these mangrove trees are “super trees”- they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere at a rate much higher than regular rainforests, making them a crucial ally in the fight against global warming.
Novelty: A World Like No Other
What makes the Sundarbans truly special is its novelty- its “weirdness” is its strength. In most parts of the world, tigers are creatures of dry land. Here, the Royal Bengal Tiger has evolved to be amphibious. These “swimming tigers” traverse miles of saline water to patrol their territory, a behaviour seen nowhere else on Earth.
The ecosystem itself is an evolutionary wonder. The trees here, known as mangrove trees (such as, sundari, baine, keora, goran, kholse, etc), have adapted to survive in water that would kill a normal plant. They have special roots called pneumatophores that grow upwards like spikes to catch oxygen from the air because the muddy soil has none. Alongside the tigers, you find the rare Fishing Cat (a cat that literally dives for fish), the Gangetic River Dolphin, and the saltwater crocodile, the largest reptile on the planet.
Current Status: A Mix of Hope and Fear
Today, the status of the Indian Sundarbans is a mix of fragile success and looming danger. On the positive side, conservation efforts are showing results. According to the latest census (2022), the tiger population in the Indian Sundarbans has risen to over 100. This is a triumph of strict patrolling and the resilience of nature. However, the land itself is vanishing. Satellite images show that the islands are shrinking. The “Sagar Island” and others are losing land to the sea every year. While the wildlife numbers are currently stable, their home is becoming smaller and more dangerous.
Major Challenges: The Storms Ahead
The Sundarbans faces a “triple threat” that puts its future at risk:
Ø Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise: This is the biggest enemy. The sea level in the Sundarbans is rising at nearly double the global average. As the water rises, it swallows the mudflats where animals rest. Furthermore, the salt water is pushing further inland, poisoning the soil. This “salinity intrusion” kills the plants (which need some fresh water) and forces farmers to abandon their fields because rice won’t grow in salty soil.
Ø Human-Wildlife Conflict: As the forest shrinks due to rising seas, tigers are pushed closer to human villages. At the same time, poverty drives villagers into the deep forest to catch crabs or collect honey. This tragic overlap results in fatalities on both sides- humans are killed by tigers, and tigers are sometimes killed in retaliation or by poachers.
Ø Freshwater Scarcity: The rivers flowing into the Sundarbans from the north are carrying less freshwater due to dams and water diversion upstream. Without a steady flow of fresh water to flush out the salt, the ecosystem is slowly changing into a marine desert where only the toughest, scrub-like plants can survive, displacing the rich forests that tigers need.
Probable Solutions: A Roadmap for Survival
Saving the Sundarbans is not impossible, but it requires immediate and smart action. Here is what needs to be done:
Ø Mangrove Restoration (The Bio-Shield): We need to plant more mangroves, but scientifically. Simply planting any tree won’t work. We need to plant native, salt-tolerant species that can survive the changing waters. These new forests will hold the land together and buy us time against the rising sea.
Ø Alternative Livelihoods: We must reduce the dependence of locals on the forest. If a villager has a safe income source- like poultry farming, sustainable beekeeping in boxes, or eco-tourism- they won’t need to venture into tiger territory to hunt for crabs. Economic safety leads to ecological safety.
Ø Cross-Border Cooperation: The tigers and the rivers don’t care about borders. India and Bangladesh must work together more closely. A joint conservation plan to manage the water flow and patrol the waterways against poachers is essential.
Ø Technology and Infrastructure: We need “smart” embankments. Instead of just concrete walls that break, we need layered defences combining concrete with mangrove buffers. Additionally, using drones and satellite monitoring can help forest rangers track tiger movements and prevent conflicts before they happen.
Peroration: The Conjecture
The Indian Sundarbans is often called the “lungs” of Bengal, but it is also its heart. It is a place where nature fights a daily battle against the salt and the sea to keep us safe. The novelty of its swimming tigers and breathing roots is a reminder of nature’s incredible ability to adapt. However, adaptation has a limit. If we do not address the flow of fresh water and the crisis of climate change, we risk losing this World Heritage site to the depths of the Bay of Bengal. Protecting the biodiversity of the Sundarbans is not charity; it is an act of self-preservation.
A Beacon of Hope: The MUKTI Model
While the challenges are daunting, grassroots organizations like MUKTI are proving that community-led action can reverse the tide of destruction.
MUKTI has gone beyond simple rhetoric to actively protect the fragile river embankments by pioneering “Bio-Shields”- planting deep-rooted Vetiver grass that holds the soil together against crashing waves. To conserve and reclaim the vanishing green cover, they have spearheaded massive plantation drives, introducing over 6 million mangrove saplings including species like Sundari and Goran across vulnerable islands. Their work also focuses on regenerating the land’s health; through their “Sun-G” and organic farming initiatives, they are training thousands of farmers to abandon toxic chemical fertilizers in favour of sustainable methods, turning entire settlements like Purba Sridharpur and Paschim Jota into “bio-villages.” By empowering local women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to manage mangrove nurseries, MUKTI ensures that the guardians of the forest are the very people who call it home, creating a sustainable defence line that protects both biodiversity and human life.
Dr Amit Kumar Dey
Program Manager – Environment, MUKTI