KOLKATA: With 40% of the Sundarbans in India and the remaining area of the sprawling mangrove forest in Bangladesh, it requires joint initiatives, overlooking border and political issues, to conserve this very unique ecology of the world. Keeping this in mind, Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh is likely to visit the neighbouring country to formally launch the Indo-Bangla Sundarbans Ecological Forum that will take up joint management programmes for better preservation.
"The forum will look into a lot of issues like census, research and guarding. For instance, on either side of Sundarbans, there is an element of doubt in ascertaining tiger population. The excuse is that big cats often cross borders. The only way to ascertain their population is to carry out tiger census programmes simultaneously across the Sundarbans in India and Bangladesh," said a state forest department officer.
In Kolkata last year, Ramesh and his Bangladesh counterpart, Dr Hasan Mahmud, had pledged to put up a joint effort to protect and preserve the Sunderbans. "Such steps will help deal with issues such as mangrove management, tiger conservation and livelihood protection," said an official of the Union forest ministry.
"When Ramesh had gone to the Sunderbans, the first thing that struck him was that one country alone could do nothing as the forest covered both countries. So, there has to be a joint initiative... However, a new vista will open up if we exchange our experiences and learn from each other before taking up joint projects like tiger census, which will never be complete without taking Bangladesh into account," said a senior ministry official.
Describing the Sunderbans as unique, Mahmud told TOI on the phone, "The mangrove forest has saved the huge hinterland from calamities such as Aila and Sidr in both countries. But over the past few decades, there have been a lot of human interference in the Surderbans on either side of the border. We must protect it together otherwise our children will never forgive us."
Mahmud also appealed to the people of India to vote for the Sunderbans and make it one of the seven ecological wonders of the world. "If India pitches in, the Sunderbans has no reason to worry about its place among the seven wonders. Only the Amazon rainforest can match its stature," he added.
Ramesh couldn't have agreed more when he said that in the global context of eco-sensitivity, the Sunderbans would always top the agenda.
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