![]() In view of the importance of such forests, now severely threatened worldwide, we trace the areal change that the Indian Sundarbans have undergone over the last two-and-a-half centuries. While large tracts of the Indian Sundarbans were cleared, drained and reclaimed for cultivation during the British colonial era, the remaining parts have been under various protection regimes since the 1970s, primarily to protect the remaining population of Bengal tigers ( Panthera tigris ssp. In addition, mangroves function as a buffer against frequently occurring cyclones helping to protect local settlements including the two most populous cities of the world, Kolkata and Dhaka, against their worst effects. Mangroves forests are highly productive and diverse ecosystems, providing a wide range of direct ecosystem services for resident populations. Covering approximately 10,000 km 2 the Sundarbans in the Northern Bay of Bengal is the largest contiguous mangrove forest on earth. ![]()
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