This book is the outcome of rigorous and continuous research work done
by the author over about three decades on the open ecosystem and dynamic
environment of the estuarine Sunderbans. The objective of this work is
to identify the field and factors changing gradually upon this active
delta over the years, decades and centuries. The deltaic Sunderbans yet
not mature enough, has been changing in its natural course with time.
Further, anthropogenic interferences disturb the environments and
accelerate degradation of nature of this fragile ecosystem
simultaneously. Roles played by almost all the agents including man and
environment and their involvement are identified for the changing
environmental scenario of the Sunderbans.
The book is befitted for the researchers and students for the post
graduate levels.
The Sunderbans, a UNESCO World Heritage Site covering parts of
Bangladesh and the southern tip of Indian state of West Bengal, is a
part of world's largest deltaic plain of fluvio-marine deposit formed by
the Ganges and Brahmaputra at the confluence of the Bay of Bengal. It is
the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the
world, conspicuous for its great size and biodiversity. With an enormous
network of channels and creeks, tidal inundation twice daily, Sunderbans
mangroves wetland is a dynamic and complex ecosystem, which undergoes
continuous processes of erosion and accretion. Natural processes like
changes in local hydrology, sediment motion under wind, wave and tidal
action, beach dynamics, regional and global processes like sea level
rise as well as the impact of human interference in the form of
reclamation of forest land, changes in land use patterns, coastal
urbanizations etc are the lead factors for the changes in the
environmental scenario of Sunderbans.
