Govt to launch book containing info about various birds in Sundarbans

Kolkata: The state Forest department for the first time is coming up with a comprehensive book containing information and pictures of various birds in the Sundarbans.

"The Sundarbans, known for its large congregation of Royal Bengal Tigers is a major tourist attraction for both domestic and international tourists. Our effort is to break the very idea among the people visiting Sundarbans that this is not only about tigers. There is a wide variety of flora and fauna and the avian population is also a major attraction at this UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is our idea behind the book," RP Saini, director of Sundarban Biosphere Reserve (SBR) said.

Officials of the Forest department in association with an NGO Prakriti Sansad that has been working for the cause of Conservation of Nature and spreading awareness since its inception in 1978 have joined hands for this project.

"Some of the local people are also involved in this project who helped us immensely in locating

the areas where birds gather and spend time. Sumit Sen who is undoubtedly one of the country's most accomplished birder have captured most of the pictures that will be published in the book,"

a senior official of the Forest department said.

The book will be released at the Banabandhab Mela which is expected to be held soon in the Sunderbans. State Forest minister Binay Krishna Barman is expected to formally release

the book at the Mela.

"The objective of holding this fair is to create awareness among people about the necessity of maintaining forest cover and imparting knowledge about how to reduce man animal

conflict," Barman said.

It may be mentioned that the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has brought a compendium of consolidated and updated information of the faunal diversity of the Sundarbans for the first time in September 2017. It has featured 356 species of birds, the most spectacular being raptors, or birds of prey, that occupy the highest canopies of the forest.

Osprey, Brahminy Kite and White-Bellied Sea Eagle are dominant, while Rose-Ringed Parakeets, flycatchers and warblers are also found in the middle tier and in the lower tier, kingfishers abound.

Officials and experts working with the SBR for years believe that the bird

variety in the mangrove are over 500 and at least 55 of them are migratory ones.