Women Come Together to Plant Mangrove Saplings in Sundarbans

The Sundarbans Reserve Forest, which is located across India and Bangladesh, is one of the largest forests in the world and is globally popular for its vast biodiversity of flora and fauna. It is home to several animals such as the famous Royal Bengal Tiger, rhesus monkey, spotted deer, lizards, crocodiles and 260 varieties of bird species. Sundarbans was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. 

According to the Forest Survey of India, the Sundarbans has been the largest mangrove forest in the world for decades. Despite this, the mangrove cover in the West Bengal side has recently seen a decrease by 4.23 percent. Earlier, the mangrove forest covered 1038 square kilometers, but by 2022, it had reduced to 994 square kilometers. 

To make up for this, the local women living near the Sundarbans have come together to plant Mangrove saplings along the riverside. Mangrove trees are well known for providing an effective barrier against floods. This initiative is especially helpful considering that the certain parts of the Sundarbans are prone to floods, landslides and erosion of soil. These natural disasters cause immense damage to the biodiversity of flora in the areas.