The number of Bengal tigers in the world’s largest mangrove forest has decreased dramatically according to new figures. It stated that only some 100 Bengal tigers were found in the Bangladeshi part of the Sundarbans Forest.
A new report on “Tiger Abundance in Bangladesh Sundarbans” by Bangladesh’s Forest Department Survey and the Wildlife Institute of India found that there are only 106 tigers are living in Bangladesh’s section of the Forest.
Experts said excessive poaching in and around the forest and pollution played a role in the reduction of Bengal tiger population in Bangladesh.
The report read:
“The current assessment covers a reasonably large area of the Sundarbans by camera traps. Entire Sundarban was surveyed by Khal surveys for evaluating tiger occupancy… Tiger population in Bangladesh was estimated to be between 83 to 130, with a midpoint of 106 tigers.”
A government tiger census carried out in 2004, using the pug mark method, estimated the tiger population in the area at 440.
The study was “the first ever effort to quantify tiger abundance in Bangladesh Sundarbans based on a robust scientific protocol using camera traps and double sampling approach”.
Research was carried out under the Strengthening Regional Cooperation of Wildlife Protection project funded by the World Bank for both the Bangladeshi and Indian portion of Sundarbans in between 2013 and 2014. A camera trapping method was used to collect results, while primary data was collected using the Khal survey method.
The study conducted in three blocks (Sarankhola, Satkhira and Khulna) comprised around 1,264 square kilometers of the forest and found 18, 13 and seven tigers in each one. These numbers were extrapolated to estimate the number of tigers in the entire 6,000 square kilometre forest. Another survey held in 2012 conducted using the camera trapping method estimated the number of tigers at around 200.
Monirul H Khan, a zoologist who conducted the earlier census using camera trapping, said that the result of the current survey is more reliable than the previous government survey carried out by using pug mark method.
The report went on to state:
“Tiger density was negatively correlated with human disturbance which was high in Bangladesh Sundarban. Poaching of tigers and their prey are a major concern for tiger conservation globally, Sundarbans being no exception.”
Responding to the query about the difference between the two results, Khan said:
“Human interventions including poaching and navigation has been increased inside the forest by this time thus reduced the presence of tiger in the forest in last few years
“Law enforcement is especially difficult in the Sundarbans. Low density of tigers in the Sundarbans is an inherent attribute of the hostile mangroove habitat that supports low tiger prey densities.
“Management of this population for long-term survival is therefore more difficult and conservation strategies need to ensure that the population in the Sundarbans is not fragmented.”
The report concluded that:
“Large water channels can become potential barriers to dispersal between Sundabans Islands especially when these channels are used as a conduit for commerical boat traffic. Development activities within and near Sundarbans promote such boat traffic and threaten the biodiversity values of this unique biome through effluents and pollution.”
The Sundarba tigers are uniquely equipped for life in the mangrove forest and are also an enormous source of national pride in Bangladesh. The preservation of this species is vital for the global recovery of the tiger population.
The study had a few policy recommendations to help achieve this goal specifically “by investing in resources that promote tiger conservation.”
“These include law enforcement activities; implementation of technology aided patrols and ecological monitoring programs, restricting development and/or investing in mitigation measures; delineating corridors for tiger movement across Sundarbans and managing these by controlling ship traffic and human disturbance.”
About the Author
