<h1 class="ql-align-center"><strong style="color: rgb(230, 0, 0);">Sundarban Biosphere&nbsp;Reserve (STR)</strong></h1><p class="ql-align-center"><br></p><h3><strong>Context&nbsp;</strong></h3><ul><li class="ql-indent-1">Birders, wildlife enthusiasts and forest officials have sighted 145 different bird species during the ﬁrst <strong>Sundarban bird festival.&nbsp;</strong></li><li class="ql-indent-1">The first ­ever festival was organized by the <strong>Sundarban Tiger Reserve (STR) division of the West Bengal Forest Department, </strong>where six teams visited different areas inside the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve.</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Two threatened bird species of the <strong>Sundarbans, Eurasian Curlew and Lesser Sand Plover</strong>, were also spotted</li><li class="ql-indent-1">A publication by the <strong>Zoological Survey of India, (ZSI) </strong>in 2021, had recorded 428 bird species in the Sundar­ bans which is one third of all the avian species found in the country.</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3><strong>﻿Threats&nbsp;</strong></h3><ul><li class="ql-indent-1">Despite being home to so many species of birds the habitats face threats including <strong>plantation activity along the chars</strong> (river islands) which disturbs the birds, and <strong>illegal activities</strong> along chars and <strong>uninhabited</strong> <strong>islands</strong>.</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3><strong>Sundarban Biosphere Reserve</strong></h3><ul><li class="ql-indent-1">The Sundarbans is located on the delta of the<strong> Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers in the Bay of Bengal.</strong></li><li class="ql-indent-1">Sundarbans is the <strong>largest delta and mangrove forest in the world.</strong></li><li class="ql-indent-1">The Indian Sunderbans, which covers 4,200 sq km, comprises the Sunderban Tiger Reserve of 2,585 sq km is home to about 96 <strong>Royal Bengal Tigers (2020) is also a world heritage site and a Ramsar Site.</strong></li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3><strong>Rivers&nbsp;</strong></h3><ul><li class="ql-indent-1">The Indian Sunderbans is bound on the west by <strong>river Muriganga and on the east by rivers Harinbhahga and Raimangal.</strong></li><li class="ql-indent-1">Other major rivers flowing through this ecosystem are <strong>Saptamukhi, Thakuran, Matla and Goasaba.</strong></li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3><strong>Protected sites&nbsp;</strong></h3><ul><li class="ql-indent-1">This Biosphere Reserve includes <strong>Sundarban Tiger Reserve, Sundarban National Park (core area), Haliday Island and Lothian Island Wildlife Sanctuaries with Sajnekhali Wildlife Sanctuary</strong> forming its buffer area.</li><li class="ql-indent-1">The core area (Sunderban National Park) has been designated as a <strong>World Heritage site.</strong></li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3><strong>Others&nbsp;</strong></h3><ul><li class="ql-indent-1">It represents the largest mangal diversity in the world with 81 mangal plant species and it provides habitat for the threatened Royal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris).&nbsp;</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3><strong>﻿Flora:&nbsp;</strong></h3><ul><li class="ql-indent-1">The vegetation of the area is <strong>moist tropical forests and tidal forests.</strong></li><li class="ql-indent-1"><strong>Endemic Flora:</strong> Sundari, Passur, Nypa&nbsp;</li></ul><h3><br></h3><h3><strong>Fauna:&nbsp;</strong></h3><ul><li class="ql-indent-1">It is home to <strong>Royal Bengal Tiger, Estuarine Crocodile, Gangetic Dolphin, Water Monitor Lizard etc.</strong></li></ul><p class="ql-align-center"><br></p><h1 class="ql-align-center"><strong>PRELIMS NOTES:</strong><a href="https://sunyaias.in/notes/prelims-2023" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 204);"><strong>CLICK HERE</strong></a></h1>

Sundarban Biosphere Reserve (STR)