Volume 8 | Issue - 8
Volume 8 | Issue - 8
Volume 8 | Issue - 8
Volume 8 | Issue - 7
Volume 8 | Issue - 7
Vegetation structures of different locations of mangrove forests in the Indian part of the Sundarbans are studied in this research article. Sundarbans are home to the most extensive mangrove ecosystem in India. In 1989, the Sundarbans Wildlife Sanctuaries were included on the list of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. The Indian side of the Sundarbans received the famous status of "Wetlands of International Importance" in the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in 2019. The primary objective of this study was to establish the species make-up of different locations. According to the findings of the study, there are 39 different mangrove plant species that belong to 23 different families. The Avicenniaceae family is the most predominant, while members of the Euphorbiaceae, Acanthaceae, Chenopodiaceae, and Rhizophoraceae families have higher densities. Besides, small shrub species of different families are found around the ecotonic zone. The study also revealed that among the 39 species, 21 are considered true mangroves, 14 are mangrove associates, and the remaining 4 taxa are considered other categories such as angiospermic plant parasites. A few numbers of Ceriops decandra, Aegialitis rotundifolia, and Phoenix paludosa, which were declared as near-threatened species by IUCN, are recorded. At the same time, Heritiera fomes and Nypa fruticans are found to be endangered for Sundarbans. The reduction of species diversity of mangroves in the Sundarbans is due to the dramatic shift in climate accompanying the rise of saline water level. Overexploitation of natural resources, increasing pollution trends along with some human activities like residential and commercial development, and expansion of agricultural and allied aspects are also aggravating the situation. If the Sundarbans are not adequately protected against the consequences of climate change, many more species will become extinct. For this reason, a participatory strategy is required to safeguard the Sundarbans.