Sundarbans West Wildlife Sanctuary
Environment
The region is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mud flats and small islands of salt tolerant mangrove forests. The area is flooded with brackish water during high tides which mix with freshwater from inland rivers.
Flora
The region supports several mangroves, including: sparse stands of gewa (Excoecaria agallocha) and dense stands of goran (Ceriops tagal), with discontinuous patches of hantal palm (Phoenix paludosa) on drier ground, river banks and levees.
Fauna
The fauna of the sanctuary is very diverse with some 40 species of mammals, 260 species of birds and 35 species of reptiles. The greatest of these being the Bengal tiger of which an estimated 120 remain in the Bangladesh Sundarbans. Other large mammals are wild boar, chital, fishing cat, oriental small-clawed otter and rhesus monkey. Five species of marine turtles frequent the coastal zone and three endangered reptiles are present - the estuarine crocodile, Indian rock python & the king cobra.
References
- ^ UNESCO: Sunderban Wildlife Sanctuaries (PDF)
- ^ UNESCO World Heritage Nomination, 1997
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21°47′20″N 89°11′35″E / 21.789°N 89.193°E