Sundarbans

Question 1

What are the sundarbans?

Answer 1

Largest mangrove forest in the world

Located in Bangladesh and India

UNESCO world heritage site

Question 2

What river basins are in the sundarbans, ganges

Answer 2

Padma, Meghna, Brahmaputra

Question 3

what is the environmental importance of the sundarbans?

Answer 3

Biodiversity - home to 260 bird species, Bengal tiger and other species

Carbon sequestration - Mangrove forest sequester lots of carbon which helps mitigate climate change

Coastal protection - acts as natural sea wall to absorb energy of storm surges

Question 4

What are the threats to the sundarbans?

Answer 4

Climate change - rising sea levels and increased salinity affect health of mangroves and species that rely on them

Deforestation - Illegal logging and increased human activity leads to habitat loss

Pollution - pollution and waste damaging ecosystem

Question 5

How is the sundarbans being preserved?

Answer 5

Protected areas - Indian and Bangladeshi governments have designated protected areas of the sundarbans

Community involvement - local communities patrolling against illegal logging

Research and modeling - understanding impacts of climate change and human activity