Sundarbans, an ecological marvel Mangroves
The pride of Sundarbans Not many places in the world hold more ecological signifcance than the Sundarbans. An archipelago (Archipelago is a group of islands over rivers, lakes, or oceans), the Sundarbans is located in West Bengal and consists of 102 islands. The region is a network of tidal waterways, mudfats, and islands of salttolerant mangrove forests. In fact, Sundarbans account for 85 per cent of the total mangroves cover in India and is home to 63 mangrove plant species. The mangroves system of Sundarban acts as a shelter belt from storms and cyclones for millions of people and also protects Kolkata Metropolitan Region from adverse natural events. Providing a range of ecosystem services depending on land, river and forest such as fishing, honey gathering, forest work and farming, Sundarbans also supports the livelihood of over 4.4 million people.