Program head of World Wildlife Fund says Bengal tigers on the brink of extinction
Betsy Cohen
Issue date: 12/2/09 Section: News
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As part of the 2009 University of Rhode Island Fall Honors Colloquium, Danda gave a lecture last night entitled, "Environmental Impact of India's Development: The Story of the Royal Bengal Tiger."
Danda, who is head of the WWF in the Sundarbans, gave background information to help students understand the history and importance of the mangrove forest and the Bengal tigers it is home to.
In 1984, India declared the Sundarbans a national park and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) named it as a world heritage site.
"This area is an extremely well-endowed environment," Danda said. "This is the only wetland tiger habitat in the world."
In his presentation, he cited a report that said if current conservation methods in Bengal tiger habitats do not improve, these tigers will become extinct within the next 20 years. Danda said approximately 3,500 Bengal Tigers exist in the world today. Only seven percent of natural tiger habitats exist today. As head of the WWF division in this national park, Danda hopes to expand this percentage to at least 12 percent and secure these areas in terms of safety for the tigers.
Dating back to 1947, the time of India's independence, Bengal tigers have been hunted.
He said, thankfully, today places once known for their tiger goods, such as the Sundarbans, are now being patrolled. Tigers are valued for their skins and are used in traditional Chinese medicinal remedies.
Unfortunately, hunting is only one problem the fading species and its environment faces.
Although the Sundarbans is considered an area of great environmental prosperity, it is also an area in which the negative impacts of climate change are apparent.
Climate change is accountable for increasing levels of salinity and rising sea levels in the Sundarbans National Park. The sea levels are responsible for the disappearance of 19,000 acres of the Sundarban mangrove forest, an area home to 226 bird species, more than 20 snake species and wild boars.
Danda said climate changes are also affecting people, forcing villagers to move to locations because of environmental stress in their community. He referred to these people as 'ecological refugees.'
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