News Highlight
145 bird species were spotted during the first bird festival in The Sundarban Tiger Reserve, West Bengal.
Key Takeaway
- During the first Sundarban Bird Festival, birders, wildlife enthusiasts, and forest officials saw 145 bird species.
- The Sundarban Tiger Reserve organised the first-ever festival, during which six teams visited various places inside the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve.
- 78 woodland birds and 42 waders, raptors, and other species were documented during the Bird Festival.
- The two-day drill, which concluded on February 10, also recorded 12 raptor species, six duck species, and seven other bird species.
- During the activity, a total of 5,065 birds were sighted.
- Eurasian Curlew was discovered among the Sundarbans’ vulnerable species.
- Seven of the Sundarbans’ nine kingfisher species were spotted by birders.
Sundarbans
- About
- The Sundarbans mangrove forest, one of the world’s largest (140,000 acres), is located on The Bay of Bengal’s delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers.
- It is located on the border of India’s Sundarbans World Heritage Site, which was designated in 1987.
- Sunderbans was designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2001.
- Sundarban Wetland, India, was recognised as the ‘Wetland of International Importance’ under the Ramsar Convention in January 2019.
- A complex network of tidal rivers and mudflats crosses the location.
- In addition, small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests are an exceptional illustration of continuous natural processes.
- The region is notable for its diverse biodiversity, which includes several bird species, The Bengal tiger, and endangered animals such as the estuarine crocodile and the Indian python.
- Global value
- Firstly, the Sundarbans Reserve Forest (SRF) is the world’s biggest contiguous mangrove forest.
- The Sundarbans are vital for internationally threatened species such as the Royal Bengal Tiger, Ganges and Irawadi dolphins, estuary crocodiles, and the severely endangered unique river terrapin (Batagur baska).
- Panthera tigris species have no other mangrove habitat in the world.
- The Sundarbans are an actual example of ongoing biological processes because they reflect delta development.
- Additionally, the subsequent colonisation of newly generated deltaic islands and related mangrove communities.
- Furthermore, these processes include monsoon rains, flooding, delta creation, tidal effect, and plant colonisation.
Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)
- About
- The Zoological Survey of India was established in 1916 to foster survey, exploration, and study to improve knowledge of the British Indian Empire’s flora and fauna.
- It is India’s premier animal taxonomy organisation.
- It began as the Indian Museum’s Zoological Section in Kolkata.
- The ZSI initially had eight regional centres spread across India.
- There are currently 16 regional centres located around the country.
- In addition, the headquarters are located in Kolkata.
- Section 39 of The National Biodiversity Act of 2002 identified it as a designated repository for the National Zoological Collection.
- Objectives
- To encourage surveying, exploring, researching, and documenting many areas of animal taxonomy in the Indian subcontinent.
- It also aims to increase knowledge about animal taxonomy.
- Conduct a status survey on threatened and endemic species.
- Preparation of the Red Data Book, Indian Fauna, and State Fauna.
- Bio-ecological research on key communities and species.
- Preparation of a database for the country’s recorded species.
- National Zoological Collections Upkeep and Development.
Pic Courtesy: STRR
Content Source: The Hindu