study of the Sundarbans needed

study of the Sundarbans needed

By dr.Fourkan Ali

Whether one has ever seen it or not, the Sundarbans pervades our national conscious as a legend, a treasure and a heritage. It may not be anything as big as the Amazons, which controls the climate of continents; the Sundarbans’ influences over the whole of Bangladesh are immense.

It provides the people, not only of neighborhood but also in distant places, with fuel wood, despite curbs on cutting trees. And this is much in an energy hungry land, especially the rural areas. It is also the source of raw materials for the only newsprint mill of the country. The Sundarbans also provides golpata used for thatching huts in the rural areas. It is famous for honey throughout the country. And the whole Sundarbans is a great hunting ground for fish. It provides shelter and habitat for hundreds of species of animals and birds, including the Royal Bangle Tiger. It is the home of several species of trees and shrubs l to the economic life of the people and sources of medicines.

A large number of fishes inhabit the innumerable rivers, canals and creeks that cress-cross the entire Sundarbans. Braving danger to life many people go into the Sundarbans to gather wood, golpata and honey Thousands of, and some time over a hundred thousand, people enter the forest area to fish. But many like us, the city dwellers, go there to have fun or if possible to see the Royal Bengal Tiger.

Very few people go there for a scientific study of the forest and its environment. But two such scientific expeditions to the Sundarbans, led by late Prof, M. I. Chowdhury had been undertaken -Y one in late 1965 and the other in 1967. The first team went there during the dry season. It consisted of over 30 experts from different disciplines, including geography forestry microbiology, etc. They stayed there for nearly a month. The papers they produced were mostly published in a supplement on the Sundarbans brought out by the Morning News in early 1966. The other expedition was conducted during the monsoon. But the team this time could not stay there beyond a fortnight because of inclement weather against which there was not enough protection. The expedition also suffered due to paucity of funds.

Here I should beg apology for writing on the Sundarbans because I had only a fleeting glimpse of the great forest during a trip to Khulna by steamer as late as the late 1980s. One of my friends, Fakir Ashraf, who was a senior official of the Customs Department at Khulna, had arranged the trip for me to the Sundarbans. But we could not go very far down the Rupsa as the river as well as the sea had been rough and our vessel was not properly equipped for such a trip. We traveled for about 45 minutes and then returned to Mongla Port for our lunch. But the only thing I leant from a distance was that the golpata was not round after all as it suggests in Bangla language. And I did not have the chance to see the breathing roots of the mangrove forests of which I have read so much.

My contention, therefore, is that very little on-the-spot study has been done on the Sundarbans in which we take great pride as it is said to be the largest mangrove forest in the world. We really don't know much about this great forest and the multitudinous life forms that it harbors. We don‘t even have a history of the Sundarbans, its origin, progress and the threats of depletion being faced by the forest from various quarters. It is a good thing that the UNESCO has declared the Sundarbans as a World Heritage Site. But this is only the beginning. We should follow it up with groundwork of scientific studies to really know what heritage we inherit.

The Sundarbans is left entirely in the care of the Forest Department. But they do not have adequate manpower and equipment to monitor and carry on surveillance over the vast tracts of the forest. Moreover; the forest officials are not properly trained but are mostly ordinary government employees.

Now that the UNESCO has declared the Sundarbans as a World Heritage Site, the government should come forward to chalk out an elaborate plan in cooperation with the UN and international agencies. Such move should help in protecting the flora and fauna of this great mangrove forest. The authorities should also set up scientific research stations in the Sundarbans to study different physical, biological and environmental aspects. This will certainly help us in our main pursuit of protecting the Sundarbans mangrove forest, its trees and animals for our posterity.

Dr.Fourkan Ali

Mob: 01711579267,

Email- dr.fourkanali@gmail.com