About 154 species of birds were spotted during the third Sundarban Bird Festival. 

About Sundarban Bird Festival

• It is an event that records the bird species in the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve. 
• The festival is organized by the Sundarban Tiger Reserve (STR) division of the West Bengal Forest Department. 
• Purpose: The festival provides baseline data on the bird species diversity in the Sundarbans. 
  • It raises awareness about bird conservation and the importance of preserving their habitats. 

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About Sundarbans

• Location: Lies on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal.
  • Spans across India (40%) and Bangladesh (60%).
• Unique Ecosystem: World’s largest mangrove forest.
  • A specialised environment between land and sea in tropical and subtropical regions.
• Flora and Fauna
  • Flora:
    • Dominant species: Dominant tree species is the Sundari tree, which gives the area its name.
    • Vegetation includes moist tropical and tidal forests.
  • Notable Species:
    • Rare and Threatened: Royal Bengal Tiger, Estuarine Crocodile, Gangetic Dolphin, Olive Ridley Turtle, Water Monitor Lizard.
    • It is the only mangrove forest with a significant population of about 100 tigers.
• Protection and Conservation
  • Biosphere Program: Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme in 2001 by UNESCO (second Biosphere Reserve from India after the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve).
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site:
    • India: 1987.
    • Bangladesh: 1997.
  • Ramsar Wetland of International Importance: Sundarban Wetland (India): 2019.
  • Project Tiger: included in 1973; Protects the Royal Bengal Tiger and the entire ecosystem.
  • Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve: Included in National MAB Program in 1989.
    • Includes Sundarbans Tiger Reserve, Sundarbans National Park, Halliday Island, Lothian Island, and Sajnakhali Wildlife Sanctuary (buffer zone).
• India-Bangladesh Cooperation: MoU (2011) signed to monitor and preserve the Sundarbans jointly.

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