The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has highlighted the ecological significance of the Sundarban, describing it as the world’s only mangrove forest where tigers live in their natural state. The Sundarban stretches across approximately 9,630 square kilometres and comprises 102 islands, of which 54 are inhabited by people and 48 are designated as Reserve Forest.
About the Sundarban Ecosystem
The Sundarban is a tidal and estuarine mangrove ecosystem where fresh water from rivers meets salt water from tides. This mixing creates unique conditions of varying salinity and sedimentation that have shaped a highly specialised environment found nowhere else. The Reserve Forest component covers roughly 4,263 square kilometres and forms a significant part of this landscape.
The Royal Bengal Tiger has adapted to survive in this mangrove habitat, making the Sundarban unique globally. During the 2024–25 tiger estimation exercise, officials photo-captured 81 tigers in the Sundarban Tiger Reserve and 20 in the adjoining South 24 Parganas area, with one tiger counted in both locations. The data was sent to the Wildlife Institute of India for analysis.
The region has changed ecologically over time. Large mammals like rhinoceros and wild water buffalo, once found across the broader region, are no longer present in the Sundarban. The tiger, however, has not only survived but flourished by adapting to tidal and saline conditions.
Tiger Protection Measures
Because human settlements are close to tiger habitats, the Forest Department implements several protection strategies. These include nylon-net fencing along vulnerable forest edges to prevent tigers from entering human areas, regular patrolling, camera trapping, and technology-based surveillance. These efforts aim to reduce dangerous encounters between people and tigers.
Eco-tourism activities in the Sundarban are regulated to ensure tourism does not harm the fragile ecosystem.
What this means for you
The Sundarban’s conservation protects not just one of India’s most important tiger populations but also preserves a unique mangrove ecosystem that provides essential ecological services to the region. Understanding the Sundarban’s distinctiveness helps explain why tiger protection here requires specialised approaches different from other Indian tiger reserves.