Rising sea levels caused by climate change threaten to wipe out Sundarbans — a large mangrove forest area shared by India and Bangladesh —— and thus world’s beautiful Bengal tigers, according to a leading conservation organisation.
“Without mitigation efforts, projected sea level rise — nearly a foot by 2070 — could destroy nearly the entire Sundarbans tiger habitat,” International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said quoting a WWF study on the occasion of International Tiger Day today.
The world’s largest tiger population is found in the Sundarbans, on the northern coast of the Indian Ocean.
“This area harbours Bengal tigers and protects coastal regions from storm surges and wind damage. However, rising sea levels that were caused by climate change threaten to wipe out these forests and the last remaining habitat of this tiger population,” IUCN said in a post on its portal tigerday.org.
“Time is short. Right now, the number of wild tiger is at its lowest ever! We have lost 97 per cent of all wild tigers in a bit over 100 years. - PTI
Indian Museum, Kolkata, in collaboration with Zoological Survey of India and others, celebrates Global Tiger Day at Museum premises to create awareness among the people to save Tiger in Kolkata on Wednesday. - Photos: Ashoke Chakrabarty