- A marine battalion comprising more than 1,100 personnel, a squadron of about 40 drones and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are part of a plan devised by the BSF to secure the strategic Sundarbans mangrove region along the India-Bangladesh border against smuggling and infiltration.
About The Sundarbans
- The Sundarbans is a mangrove area in the delta formed from sediments deposited by three great rivers: the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna while covering the Bengal Basin.
- This land has been shaped by tidal action, resulting in a distinct physiology, as part of the world’s largest delta.
- Sundari trees can be found in large numbers all over the forest which gives them their name.
- It is the only mangrove forest in the world inhabited by tigers.
- It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
- Sunderbans was designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2001.
- Sundarbans Wetland, India was recognized as the ‘Wetland of International Importance’ under the Ramsar Convention in January 2019.
- It is home to many rare and globally threatened wildlife species such as the Estuarine Crocodile, Royal Bengal Tiger, Water Monitor Lizard, Gangetic Dolphin and Olive Ridley Turtles.
- About Mangroves
- Mangroves are the plant communities occurring in inter-tidal zones along the coasts of tropical and subtropical countries.