70
5.2.2 Benefits: Maintaining Biodiversity and Providing
Humans with Goods and Services
The Sundarbans harbours 334 species of trees, shrubs, herbs and epiphytes and
about 400 species of wild animals (Behera and Haider 2012). Sundri (Heritiera
fomes) is the most important floral species. Other prominent species are: gewa
(Excoecaria agallocha), baen (Avicennia officinalis), passur (Xylocarpus mekongensis), keora (Sonneratia apetala), goran (Ceriops decandra), ora (S. caseolaris)
and hental (Phoenix paludosa). It also offers high value non-timber forest products
like honey, wax, fish and crabs. This forest is also rich in its faunal diversity. There
are 448 species of vertebrates including 10 amphibians, 58 reptiles, 339 birds and
41 mammals (Department of Environment [DoE], Government of Bangladesh
[GoB] 2015). It provides habitat for diverse aquatic wildlife such as estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea), dolphins (Platanista
gangetica and Peponocephala electra) and molluscs like the giant oyster
(Crassostrea gigas). Nevertheless, the Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris) is the
most magnificent animal. According to the census of 2004, around 440 tigers resided
in the Bangladesh part while the most recent estimate puts such to around 106 tigers
Fig. 5.1 Location of the Sundarbans. (Source: IUCN n.d as cited in Rahman et al. 2010)
R. A. M. Titumir et al.
5.2.2 Benefits: Maintaining Biodiversity and Providing
Humans with Goods and Services
The Sundarbans harbours 334 species of trees, shrubs, herbs and epiphytes and
about 400 species of wild animals (Behera and Haider 2012). Sundri (Heritiera
fomes) is the most important floral species. Other prominent species are: gewa
(Excoecaria agallocha), baen (Avicennia officinalis), passur (Xylocarpus mekongensis), keora (Sonneratia apetala), goran (Ceriops decandra), ora (S. caseolaris)
and hental (Phoenix paludosa). It also offers high value non-timber forest products
like honey, wax, fish and crabs. This forest is also rich in its faunal diversity. There
are 448 species of vertebrates including 10 amphibians, 58 reptiles, 339 birds and
41 mammals (Department of Environment [DoE], Government of Bangladesh
[GoB] 2015). It provides habitat for diverse aquatic wildlife such as estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea), dolphins (Platanista
gangetica and Peponocephala electra) and molluscs like the giant oyster
(Crassostrea gigas). Nevertheless, the Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris) is the
most magnificent animal. According to the census of 2004, around 440 tigers resided
in the Bangladesh part while the most recent estimate puts such to around 106 tigers
Fig. 5.1 Location of the Sundarbans. (Source: IUCN n.d as cited in Rahman et al. 2010)
R. A. M. Titumir et al.