Under Attack!!! by RAI UMRAOPATI RAY

The unregulated prawn seed cultivation in Sunderbans is indiscriminately disturbing the ecological balance of this Global Biosphere Reserve

Increasing human habitation, rising sea level due to global warming, erosion by seawater, allegedly decreasing tiger population, recurrent floods causing the water resources to become saline etc., are some of the known problems that have been affecting Sunderbans at large. However, the unregulated prawn seed cultivation in the largest stretch of mangrove forest in the world between India and Bangladesh is indiscriminately disturbing the ecological balance of this Global Biosphere Reserve and hence needs urgent attention.
Despite several initiatives and awareness campaigns from the state government and various NGOs, the problem is far from being controlled or even minimised. Over fishing in the region without adhering to any laws, contamination of water from industrial wastes, big fishing vessels that are allowed, lack of will or regulation on part of bordering countries as far as maintaining the biosphere is concerned are destroying this fragile eco system at rapid space.
A large chunk of the population in the region depends upon fishing as their main source of livelihood. Most of the fisher folk go for bagda (tiger) spawns as such seedlings have huge demand in places like East and Southeast Asian countries. However, to fish them out, they use superfine nets that trap all kinds of species of fishes, which are not thrown back into the water, thus diminishing the fish diversity immensely. The practice is on for almost two decades and the effect can be seen now.
Informs Joydip Kundu, an active environmentalist who runs the Royal Bengal Tiger Bachao campaign in the region, "Because of the prawn seed fishing, which is carelessly executed by the most of the fisher folk, the fishlings are perishing along with the associate species. The villagers mostly use mosquito nets, which are restricted. And few of them usually tread into restricted areas for fishing where it is strictly banned."
In fact, this correspondent on his trip to Sunderbans himself spotted groups of fishermen fishing in restricted areas of the Tiger Reserve. Not only they were using banned long fishing nets, they parked their boats and were on the ground which is also strictly prohibited in the tiger areas. This may be a far fetched imagination but the possibility of tiger poaching cannot be completely ruled out in such situations especially, when a tiger carcass was reportedly found few weeks back and three forest officials were transferred as per the reports.
There is no doubt that the overall situation has reached to alarming levels. As per the villagers, spawns or prawn seedlings are also diminishing and they are now the worst sufferers. "There has been a decrease in catch of various fishes over the years as some of them are feared to be extinct. We do not earn much from fishing these days as trawl nets are banned within 22 kilometres of the coastline, while foreign trawllers are merrily fishing with no restrictions", says Bara Thakur, a local resident. To bring home his point, he asks, "Why has the government allowed bigger vessels from big contractors (corporate houses) and nearby states to operate in the region? They fish out all shrimps using mosquito nets and we are blamed for the menace. Also, men from other land (foreign fishermen especially the Thai ones as popularly called by the villagers) uses very long nets against the tide without any restrictions. They sometimes even destroy our nets."
Overall, the ground zero situation in this unique ecosystem is bad. Several reports and researches have concluded that the species diversity is depreciating at alarming rates. There is no doubt that the state government is concerned and trying hard as is evident from the regular patrolling exercise as well through eco development committees at large but special problem needs special attention and plan. The conservation of Sunderbans as a whole (mangroves, tigers and other elements of this ecosystem) is very important as it is not only the question of few thousand probable environmental refugees or dwindling tiger population or picturesque mangroves but for the protection of large part of West Bengal from devastating cyclones and wind storms.
We need to have an inclusive plan without keeping in mind any vested interests at the earliest and also to ensure its effective implementation to save our natural heritage.