The Sundarbans is a cluster of low-lying islands in the Bay of Bengal,spread across India and Bangladesh, famous for its unique mangrove forests.This active delta region is among the largest in the world, measuring about40,000 sq km.

The Sundarbans mangrove forest, one of the largest such forests in the world lies on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal. It is adjacent to the border of India’s Sundarbans World Heritage site inscribed in 1987. The site is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests, and presents an excellent example of ongoing ecological processes. The area is known for its wide range of fauna, including 260 bird species, the Bengal tiger and other threatened species such as the estuarine crocodile and the Indian python. 

The Sundarbans forest is about 10,000 sq km across India and Bangladesh, ofwhich 40% lies in India, and is home to many rare and globally threatenedwildlife species such as the estuarine crocodile (Crocodilus porosus), royal Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris), Water monitor lizard (Varanus salvator), Gangetic dolphin (Platinista gangetica), and olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea). The forest in India is dividedinto the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve and 24 Parganas (South) Forest Division, andtogether with the forest in Bangladesh is the only mangrove forest in the worldwhere tigers are found.

The Sundarbans delta in India has been a priority region for WWF-India since1973 due to its unique biodiversity. While it supports a sizeable population ofwild tigers and other wildlife, it is also an ecologically fragile andclimatically vulnerable region that is home to over 4.5 million people.Securing the future of the Sundarbans, its biodiversity and people requires along term vision that can integrate climate adaptation and conservationstrategies along with shorter term interventions such as ensuring sustainablelivelihoods, access to clean and sustainable energy and effective humanwildlife conflict management.

WWF-India’s vision for this landscape is to develop a climate resilientSundarbans that supports biodiversity, ecosystems services and sustainabledevelopment.

1973: Involved in the Sundarbans since theinception of Project Tiger. Assisted the Sundarbans Forest Department in thefirst tranquilization of a stray tiger in 1974.

1976: Conducted Environment Education activitiesthrough initiatives such as Nature Clubs of India. Supported the ForestDirectorate with equipment and training, as well as community engagement toreduce dependence on forest resources.

2007: Established a dedicated Sundarbans programmeto address issues of biodiversity conservation and climate change. The strategyfor the landscape focused on three thematic areas of biodiversity conservation,adaptation to climate chance, and energy access.