Climate Change a threat for Bengal tigers

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4000 square miles of Sundarbans in India and Bangladesh houses largest mangrove forest in the world, providing a rich and suitable ecosystem for several species, including the endangered Bengal tigers. However, the survival of the Bengal tigers is in question because of the possible danger and their to their natural habitats.

Australian and Bangladeshi researchers report threat to Bengal tigers

The researchers of Bangladesh and Australia have recently reported a grave danger to the already endangered Bengal Tigers. This is due to the possible drastic changes in the sea level in that region. 70 percent of the Sundarbans land is just a few feet above the sea level and hence the region is to be affected extremely. The researchers reported in the journal Science of the Total Environment, the level of climate change due to the changes in the sea level is likely “enough to decimate” few hundreds, if not more, of the remaining Bengal Tigers there.

The conditions are already deteriorating in the Sundarbans due to the extreme spike in the weather. Dr Mukul, an assistant professor of environmental management at Independent University, Bangladesh in Dhaka, stated, “a lot of things might happen…The situation could be even worse if there is a cyclone or if there is some disease outbreak in that area, or if there is a food shortage.” If all this happens, it is likely that confrontations between tigers and humans might grow as the tigers will wander outside their habitats in search for new land.

Present research on endangerment of Bengal Tigers support 2010 research

In 2010, a research by World Wide Fund for Nature estimated that in coming years the sea level might rise by 11 inches, endangering the survival of the Bengal tigers. The number of the endangered species might reduce by 95 percent. Also, researchers concluded that “by 2070, there will be no suitable tiger habitats remaining in the Bangladesh Sundarbans”.