Environmental Status of 3 ecosystems in the Indian State of Bengal

Compared to Himalayan states like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh,Sikkim and others.....East Indian States of Bengal and Jharkhand have witnessed rapid environmental degradation.

This is primarily attributable to unbridled population growth.

If you were to visit some spots that you had been 20 years earlier, you just wouldn't be able to recognize...such has been the deforastation.

Let me point out 3 locations ( 2 locations have seen rampant deforestation , 1 ecosystem is preserved) :

The Santiniketan area is a global heritage site, founded by India's only Nobel Laureate in literature Rabindranath Tagore's forefathers. This site had a 'reserve forest' (it's just a strip forest, BTW) Ballavgarh Forest - home to sal, palash, chhatim and sonajhuri trees, not to speak of a rich shrub and undergrowth cover. It also has a ravine based ecosystem called the 'khowai' along with specific wetlands.

The wetlands serve as a 'winter home' to migratory birds wich come from afar as the Siberian marsh lands and taiga/tundra. It is vital for their survival as these migratory birds fly to these Shantiniketan wetlands for thousands of years travelling thousands of miles. These wetlands are now threatened. Many of the minor ones have vanished.

The water level has also gone, thanks to rampant human encroachment. I noticed almost no birds, just a few salamandars or newts by the pools along the wetlands. Now, if these wetlands are gone....so is the survival of millions of these Siberian birds threatened. This is because their 'locator device' is basically a paramagnetic body located inside their brain.

And, if the birds are gone....so will the foxes, jackals, civet cats and other animals that depend on these birds for prey disappear.

A 'preserved' ecosystem is the Mahanada Wildlife Sanctuary...to be more specific the Terai and upper Teesta Valley forest system.......at least last time in 2000 end I saw a healthy population of the red-faced variety of monkeys. Wonder if the black-faced langurs are found. Anyway,the foliage was like before. Healthy population of monkeys is good......as leopards like to feast on 'em.

Compare this to the East Calcutta Wetlands...which is basically a RAMSAR SITE. Rampant filling up of these wetlands is going on. It is impossible to think that fishing cats existed in these areas.... (Image Source of fishing cat hunting for fishes : felidtag.org)

Note that the fishing cat served as an important cog in the eco-system, hunting not only fish.....but also cleaning up insects and arachnids which are 'pests' to humans. I guess, if the fishing cat population goes down in the East Calcutta Wetlands.....well, there'll be an invasion of 'pests' like different types of arachnids (read, SPIDERS) and insects into the living rooms.


Add to this the depressing fact that was revealed just 4 days ago that probably there were less thanonly about 1500 tigers left in India.
Only Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand has recorded a POSITIVE GROWTH. All other regions, barring Sinderbans (no records available) have recorded a decline. Which makes it more imperative to carry out a Tiger Census in the Sunderabans, the last refuge of the Bengal Tiger.