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Biodiversity

The terrestrial and aquatic areas of the country support a large number of diverse biological populations, both plant and animal. The biodiversity depends on the type and quality of habitat, and level of interference of the human population and development activities. Notwithstanding insufficient baseline information on biological resources, it is believed that development practices have caused a significant depletion of terrestrial and aquatic species diversity. Over-exploitation of some very common species in an unwise manner has led to their being reduced to a vulnerable status; for example, the Freshwater Crocodile is now threatened. Mangrove forests form a unique environment of floral-faunal assemblages. Leaf litter undergoing decomposition provides particulate and dissolved organic matter to the estuarine ecosystem, and this complex detritus-based food web supports a number of marine and brackish water organisms. The Sundarbans support a very rich and diverse fish fauna of 400 species, 270 species of birds, and over 300 species of plants. It is an important staging and wintering area for migratory shore birds, gulls, and terns. They comprise the largest remaining tract of habitat for the Royal Bengal Tiger (Pantheratigris). St. Martin’s Island is an important nesting area for marine turtles, and a wintering ground for migratory shore birds. There is an abundance of waterfowl and wetland dependant birds in the Haor Basin. A total of 125 species of waterfowl are known to occur, of which 53 are resident breeding species or breeding summer visitors. During the NERP field program, 284 species of birds were recorded in the Northeast region, of which 89 are true waterfowl. Birds largely or wholly dependent on wetland ecosystems are 30 species, whereas other birds observed in wetlands or adjacent floodplains and dry land are 42 and 123 species, respectively. Despite massive habitat losses, the Haor Basin remains an internationally important wintering area for migratory waterfowl, principally ducks and shorebirds. Coastal wetlands support an even larger number of migratory birds, including some highly endangered species.