Sundarbans
Visit Sundarbans: World's Largest Mangrove Forest in Bangladesh
The Sundarbans is one of the world's coastal mangrove forests with diverse wildlife. Tourists come from all over Bangladesh to enjoy the beauty of the Sundarbans. The presence of tourists from different countries of the world is not less either. Most of the Sundarbans tours start from Khulna. However, some tours are starting from Dhaka lately. The advantage of traveling from Dhaka is that you do not have to go to Khulna by bus separately, but you can start your journey by ship from Dhaka. This article will enlighten you about visiting Sundarbans from Dhaka, including things to do in Sundarbans.
The naming of Sundarbans, Area, and Location
The literal meaning of the word Sundarbans is the beautiful forest or beautiful jungle. But many may wonder why this forest wrapped in green got its name as Sundarbans?
There is an idea that the Sundarbans might have been named due to the wide availability of Sundari tree in the forest. Again, many people think that it may have got its name from the ancient tribes called "Samudra Ban" or "Chandra-bandhe." Many people think that it can be named because of its natural beauty. It is generally believed that the Sundarbans are named after the abundance of a species of tree called the Sundari tree.
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The Sundarbans are covered by a network of small archipelagos with marine currents, mud, and salinity of mangrove forests. The Sundarbans, which covers an area of 10,000 sq km, has 6,016 sq km in Bangladesh and the rest in India. The other portion of Sundarbans falls on the southeastern border of West Bengal in India. The Sundarbans of India consist of South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas of West Bengal. Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Patuakhali areas are covered in Bangladesh.
100 crocodiles released in Sundarbans marking Bangabandhu's birth centenary
As many as 100 saltwater crocodiles have been released in the Sundarbans marking the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The saltwater crocodiles were released on Wednesday in various rivers and canals in four ranges of the Sundarbans.
Read:Sundarbans tourism: Now focus on automation to improve services
Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Begum Habibun Nahar inaugurated the program by releasing crocodiles in the canal adjacent to the Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Center in the Sundarbans.
Muhammad Belayet Hossain, Divisional Forest Officer of Sundarbans East Division, the released saltwater crocodiles were born at different times in the Karamjal Crocodile breeding center in the Sundarbans.
The Forest Department established the Crocodile Breeding Center at Karamjal in the Sundarbans in 2000 for the purpose of breeding and conservation of almost extinct saltwater crocodiles in the country with two crocodiles named Romeo and Juliet.
Read: Red tapes are holding back the much-hyped Sundarbans conservation project
Earlier, more than a hundred crocodiles born in breeding centers at different times were released in the Sundarbans. At present, there are 94 crocodiles of different ages in the breeding center, according to the forest department.
Chief Conservator of Forests Amir Hossain Chowdhury and Conservator of Forests of Khulna Region Mihir Kumar Do were present among others at the event.
12ft-long python rescued in Bagerhat
A 12ft-long python was rescued by forest officials from a paddy field in Sarankhola upazila of Bagerhat on Monday. The snake was later released in the Sundarbans.
However, the python had attacked a 15-year-old boy, named Omar Hawladar, during the rescue operations, according to the forest officials. The boy received primary treatment at the Upazila Health Complex.
"The reptile weighing 16kg was rescued by the forest department on Monday afternoon from the paddy field in Jilbunia village. It was released in the Sharankhola range of the Sundarbans at night," said Md Belayet Hossain, divisional forest officer (East).
Read:18-feet long python captured in Bagerhat
Originally from the Sundarbans, the python entered the village by crossing the Bhola river, according to the DFO.
“In the past one year, more than 100 pythons have been rescued from the Chadpai and Sarankhola range,” said DFO Belayet.
He also urged people to inform the forest department whenever they spot any wild animal in their localities rather than harming them.
10 held with 160 kg venison in Sundarbans
Forest officials in a drive detained 10 poachers along with 160 kg of venison from the west bank of Pashur river in the Sundarbans Sunday afternoon.
They also seized 200 meters of deer hunting trap, 4 deer horns, 1 woodpecker and 4 boats from their possession, said a press release of Sundarbans West Forest Department.
Read: 2 poachers held with venison, legs in Bagerhat
The detainees are Sheikh Didar, Sheikh Nizam, Rasel Fakir, Abdus Sobhan Sheikh, Mohammad Afridi, Sheikh Golam Moula, Ziar Sheikh, Shamim Khan, Raj and Abdul Naeem Sheikh.
They recovered 4 expired passes of fish and crabs catching from them, the release added.
Later, they were handed over to Khulna Senior Judicial Magistrate Court-01.
2 smugglers held with 18 deer hides in Bagerhat
Rapid Action Battalion has arrested two members of a smuggling syndicate with 18 deer hides from Bagerhat.
The arrest was made during a raid at Kashem Plaza Market in Barakpur Bazar of Bagerhat Sadar on Thursday night.
Read: 4 ‘deer poachers’ held in Sundarbans
The arrestees are Abdul Hakim, 50, son of Rafiz Uddin of Baharbunia village in Morelganj upazila of Bagerhat and Kamrul Islam, 35, son of Ali Mia Hawladar of Sonatala village in Sharankhola upazila.
According to RAB, they are members of a syndicate of deer meat and hide smugglers.
Two smartphones, Tk 2,000 cash and 18 deer hides were seized at from the smugglers, said a RAB-6 media release on Friday
Khulna RAB-6 Assistant Director (Media) ASP Bazlur Rashid said that the RAB on a tipoff trading deer hides, raided the market. Sensing the presence of the RAB, the members of the syndicate tried to flee. However, RAB team managed to arrest the two smugglers and found 18 deer hides in two large plastic bags, he said.
The ASP further said that the smugglers over primary interrogation admitted that they used to collect deer hides and meat from the Sundarbans and sell it in different parts of the country.
The two smugglers, including deer hides, have been handed over to Bagerhat Sadar Model Police Station for legal action, he added.
Read: Father-son arrested with deer meat in Bagerhat
Earlier on January 23 this year, Bagerhat district police raided Sharankhola and arrested two poachers with 19 deer hides.
Deer hunting has increased in the Sundarbans since the time of the Covid pandemic. Poachers use traps and poison baits to hunt deer. Slaughtering those inside the forest they sell the meat at the locality and the hides are smuggled.
Sundarbans tourism: Now focus on automation to improve services
The government will launch a pilot project in December next, aiming to bring tourism management in the Sundarbans under automation with a smart app.
Using the app, ‘Sundarbans’, one can get all the travel formalities done sitting at home. This will not only save the time of travellers but also ensure hassle-free booking process and make things easier for the forest department to provide better services to tourists.
According to the Forest Department, this automation programme on Sundarbans travel management is being implemented under the Skill Development Project of Mobile Games and Applications by the Department of Information and Communication Technology.
Read: Sundarbans set to reopen for tourists on Sep 1 -
Mihir Kumar Dey, the forest conservator of Khulna region, said, “The Sundarbans tourism management is being automated as part of building a Digital Bangladesh. It’s being implemented under the A2I programme of the Prime Minister's Office.”
44 held for illegal fishing in Sundarbans
Sundarbans forest authorities have arrested as many as 44 fishermen for illegally entering the reversed canal areas adjacent to Meher Ali Char in Sharankhola upazila of Bagerhat.
Acting on a tip-off, a forest department team nabbed the fishermen on Monday night as they were gearing up to catch fish, and seized their four trawlers.
Read: 4 ‘deer poachers’ held in Sundarbans
"The fishermen are residents of Pirojpur district. The arrests came on a tip-off," said Muhammad Belayet Hossain, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO).
The arrested fishermen have been kept at the Dubla Jalepalli patrol outpost of the forest department. "Legal action will be taken against them," Belayet said.
Mohammad Shamsul Arefin, assistant forest conservator (ACF), said that group had been fishing in the forest areas for several days.
Read: Effective strategies adopted to protect Sundarbans: Environment Minister
During interrogation, they admitted their guilt. "So, they would be made to pay fines," he said.
The seized trawlers are FB Mama-Bhagne, FB Tahira-1, FB Yusuf and FB Maaer Doa. "The owners of the trawlers also belong to Pirojpur district," he added.
Sundarbans set to reopen for tourists on Sep 1
After nearly five months of closure due to the Covid restrictions, the Forest Department is reopening the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest and a Unesco World Heritage Site, on September 1 (Wednesday).
The decision was taken at a meeting between leaders of the Forest Department and the Tour Operators Association of Sundarbans, Khulna, on Sunday.
Read:Red tapes are holding back the much-hyped Sundarbans conservation project
M Nazmul Azam David, the general secretary of the Tour Operators Association, confirmed the information to UNB.
However, it won’t be business as usual as the Forest Department has given some rules and conditions before reopening the forest for tourists.
Red tapes are holding back the much-hyped Sundarbans conservation project
Even seven months after its approval red tapes are holding back a much-hyped government project aimed at the sustainable conversation of Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest.
The Tk. 1.5-billion Sundarbans Conservation project got the go-ahead by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) at its last January 5 meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Read: Tiger population growing in the Sundarbans: PM
The meeting set December 31, 2024, as the deadline to complete the project.
But officials are yet clear necessary files delaying take-off of the important project on the Sundarbans, home to famed Bengal Tigers, exotic flora, and fauna. Besides, the forest has worked as a natural shield to protect the coast from severe cyclones.
What’s the project about?
The project will be implemented to protect the Sundarbans in a sustainable manner through the modernisation of internal communication systems with ICT.
Read Effective strategies adopted to protect Sundarbans: Environment Minister
Surveys will be conducted to track the number of animals, their habitats and diseases and the characteristics of the conserved area and its environment under this project.
This project also aims at automating the conventional permit system and identity cards of about 30,000 collectors of the forest’s resources and other beneficiaries, introduce a plan for ‘Eco-tourism’ and ensure training up the tourist guides.
Employment opportunities will also be created through the project for locals in excavation and re-excavation programs of ponds, canals and rivers of the Sundarbans.
Read Golpata trees dying a slow death in the Sundarbans
“At least 3 million people of 39 upazilas of Barishal division will get jobs on implementation of this project,” said Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of West Sundarbans, Dr Abu Nasr Mohsin.
Programs will be conducted to establish, repair and maintain offices, residential buildings, barracks, wooden jetties, pontoons and to buy fast moving vessels.
Besides, the officials appointed for safeguarding the vast forest area will be trained up, Khulna-based Geographic Information System (GIS) laboratory, computer software, software license and GPS tracking facilities will be improved under this project.
Read:Sundarbans plays role as a carbon sink: Alok Sharma
4 ‘deer poachers’ held in Sundarbans
Forest Department officials on Saturday night detained four suspected deer poachers from Kochikhali Shukpara area in Sharankhola upazila of Bagerhat district under Sundarbans East Department.
The arrestees are- Julhas Hawlader, 32, from Kathaltali village in Patharghata upazila of Barguna district, Rimon Hawlader, 19, from the same village, Jewel Hawlader, 25, and Sohag Hawlader, 24, from Badurtala village.
Mohammad Belayet Hossain, divisional forest officer (DFO), said that a patrol team detained the four deer poachers.
The official also said that the poachers entered the forest illegally.
The team also seized a trawler, traps used for catching deer and four sharp weapons.
A case was filed against them, the official said.