Sundarbans to develop as a tiger reserve; no plan to turn it into an eco-tourism spot

In a surprise move, it has been announced that there is no plan to develop the Sundarbans as an eco-tourism hub. The same was conveyed in a statement by the government authorities. It has been a while that speculations were rife about the development of the mangrove forest area as a hotspot for eco-tourism. Instead, the emphasis would further be laid on protecting and enhancing the forest cover.

Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar told Lok Sabha, “Conservation of flora and fauna of the Sundarbans is implemented through the legally mandated Tiger Conservation Plan which inter-alia has prescriptions for management of mangrove areas, anti-poaching, habitat management, monitoring and staff development”.
It has to be noted that the mangrove forest is spread over an area of 10000 sq km, and is formed by the confluence of three rivers—Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna. Four of its areas are also recognised as protected and feature in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, namely the Sundarbans East Wildlife Sanctuaries, Sundarbans National Park, Sundarbans West, and Sundarbans South.

The government’s move to not mark the Sundarbans as an eco-tourism site has come as a surprise, though the move of declaring it as a tiger reserve has been welcomed. It will enable stricter implementation of anti-poaching laws as well as habitat management among other things.