Tigers survive in the forests of only a few countries in Asia. Among them, the Sundarbans, the saltwater mangrove forest that has risen from the sea in Bangladesh's south-west corner, is one of the tiger's main ranges. The tigers here are known worldwide as the Royal Bengal tiger, which is quite distinct from tigers in other regions because of its unique characteristics.

The latest tiger census offers some hope. According to the most recent survey, carried out in 2023-24 using modern camera trapping, the number of tigers in the Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans has risen to 125. The first camera-trap survey in 2015 counted 106 tigers (a density of 2.17 per 100 square kilometres).

The number rose to 114 in 2018 (density 2.55) and to a record 125 (density 2.64) in the latest survey in 2024. The survey also detected a significant number of cubs. Experts say the increase is due to stronger security in the forest in recent years and successful tiger conservation work.

But behind this good news lies a serious concern. Rapid climate change, environmental degradation and a lack of suitable habitat are disrupting tigers' normal breeding. Tigers cannot always adapt to global warming and rising salinity. Environmentalists say that unless stronger, long-term conservation measures are taken now, this pride of the Sundarbans could soon be lost.

Tiger numbers are falling day by day in Bangladesh and around the world. Population growth, unplanned urbanisation, indiscriminate destruction of forests, hill cutting, the proliferation of motor vehicles and, above all, the negative effects of climate change are steadily shrinking the tiger's original habitat.

Yet the tiger is not just a wild animal; it is the main driving force in maintaining the Sundarbans ecosystem and the balance of the natural environment. If the tiger survives, the forest will survive, and if the forest survives, our coastal region will be protected. Sadly, we are still not as aware as we should be about the tiger's safe breeding and protection.

Environmentalists have urged several important and effective steps to protect the Sundarbans tiger:

• Any industry or commercial project that could harm the Sundarbans must be stopped immediately. Deforested areas must be restored to ensure a safe and quiet environment for tigers.
• The illegal international market in tiger skins and body parts must be destroyed. The forest crimes law must be strictly enforced so poachers face exemplary punishment, and intensive Forest Department patrols inside the Sundarbans must be stepped up. Awareness of tiger conservation must be raised among people living on the forest's edge, and alternative livelihoods must be arranged for them to reduce their dependence on the forest.
• Populations of the tiger's main prey, such as deer and wild boar, must be kept at normal levels. When food is short, tigers come into villages and are killed by people, so food and conditions for unhindered breeding must be ensured inside the forest.

By destroying the balance of wildlife and nature, people are constantly making the Earth less fit to live on. Now is the time to control environmentally destructive activities and excessive motor vehicles. Otherwise we will lose the forest for ever, and our pride, the Royal Bengal tiger, will become extinct. We must remember that if the forest survives, the environment survives, and only if the environment survives will humankind survive.

The writer, Sabbir Hossain, is a student at Ta'mirul Millat Kamil Madrasa, Tongi.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.