Conservation status of Bengal tiger Panthera tigris tigris in the earth’s only mangrove tigerland: A review of efforts and challenges

Abstract

Sundarban is the earth’s largest contiguous ‘mangrove forest’ (‘Bādābān’) designated as protected or conservation areas including biosphere reserve, tiger reserve, core area, critical tiger habitat, primitive (wilderness) zone, national park, wildlife sanctuaries, buffer area and reserved forests, covering 10,277 km² forest area [4260 km² (41.45%) in India and 6017 km² (58.55%) in Bangladesh]. This natural biodiversity hotspot is the only mangrove tigerland and the ‘last stronghold’ of Panthera tigris tigris with a camera trap-based population estimate of 214 (100 in Indian Sundarbans and 114 in Bangladesh Sundarbans) supported by a creek (sign) survey. Globally, Sundarban is a prioritised class I tiger conservation landscape extending over 5304 km² or 51.6% of total terrestrial and aquatic mangrove habitat in the region, which is facing emergent conservation challenges due to natural and anthropogenic threats. Several conservation actions have been executed to stabilise and increase the tiger population. There is cause for ‘cautious future optimism’ since the trend of historically high rates of mangrove clearing and degradation has slowed down and tiger population in the Sundarban mangroves has slightly increased and remains stable during the last three enumerations (2018–2022) in India (the results of the current camera-based census in Bangladesh counterpart are to be announced on 29 July 2024), which can be attributed to some positive improvements of tiger habitat management.