Protected areas of West Bengal

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Protected areas of West Bengal cover 4% of the state area.^[1] and forests make up 14% of the geographical area of West Bengal, which is lower than the national average of 23%.^[2]^[3] Part of the world's largest mangrove forest Sundarbans is located in southern West Bengal.^[4] There are five national parks and 10 Wildlife Sanctuary in West Bengal^[5].

Protected areas of West Bengal
Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary Sundarban Biosphre Reserve Buxa National Park Neora Valley National Park Singalila National Park Ballabhpur Wildlife Sanctuary Bethuadahari Wildlife Sanctuary Bibhutibhushan Wildlife Sanctuary Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary Gorumara National Park Jore Pokhri Wildlife Sanctuary Narendrapur Wildlife Sanctuary Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary Ramnabagan Wildlife Sanctuary Lothian Island Wildlife Sanctuary Sajnakhali Wildlife Sanctuary Haliday Island Wildlife Sanctuary Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary

1 National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries
2 Wildlife
3 Fauna
4 Reference

[edit] National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries

[edit] Wildlife

Wildlife in these Protected areas includes the Indian rhinoceros, Indian elephants, deer, bison, leopards, gaur, and crocodiles. The state is also rich in bird life. Migratory birds come to the state during the winter. The high altitude forests like Singalila National Park shelter barking deer, red panda, chinkara, takin, serow, pangolin, minivet and Kalij pheasants. In addition to the Bengal tiger, the Sundarbans host many other endangered species like the Ganges River Dolphin, river terrapin, estuarine crocodile etc.^[6] The mangrove forest also acts as a natural fish nursery, supporting coastal fishes along the Bay of Bengal.^[6]

[edit] Fauna

From a phytogeographic viewpoint, the southern part of West Bengal can be divided into two regions: the Gangetic plain and the littoral mangrove forests of the Sundarbans.^[7] The alluvial soil of the Gangetic plain compounded with favorable rainfall make this region especially fertile.^[7] Much of the vegetation of the western part of the state shares floristic similarities with the plants of the Chota Nagpur plateau in the adjoining state of Jharkhand.^[7] The predominant commercial tree species is Shorea robusta, commonly known as Sal. The coastal region of Purba Medinipur exhibits coastal vegetation; the predominant tree is the Casuarina. The most valuable tree from the Sundarbans is the ubiquitous sundri (Heritiera fomes) from which the forest gets its name.^[8] Vegetation in northern West Bengal is dictated by elevation and precipitation. For example, the foothills of the Himalayas, the Dooars, are densely wooded with Sal and other trees of the tropical evergreen type.^[9] Above 1000 m, the forest type changes to subtropical. In Darjeeling, which is above 1500 m, common trees typifying the temperate forest are oaks, conifers, and rhododendrons.^[9]

[edit] Reference

^ West Bengal: General Information. India in Business. Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Retrieved on August 25, 2006.
^ Flora and Fauna. calcuttayellowpages.com (P) Ltd. Retrieved on August 25, 2006.
^ [May 2004] "Environmental Issues", West Bengal Human Development Report 2004 (PDF), Development and Planning Department, Government of West Bengal, pp180–182. ISBN 81-7955-030-3. Retrieved on August 26, 2006.
^ Islam, Sadiq. "World's largest mangrove forest under threat", CNN Student Bureau, Cable News Network, June 29, 2001. Retrieved on October 31, 2006.
^ West Bengal. Directory of Wildlife Protected Areas in India. Wildlife Institute of India. Retrieved on October 26, 2006.
^ ^a ^b [May 2004] "Problems of Specific Regions", West Bengal Human Development Report 2004 (PDF), Development and Planning Department, Government of West Bengal, pp200–203. ISBN 81-7955-030-3. Retrieved on August 26, 2006.
^ ^a ^b ^c Mukherji, S.J. (2000). College Botany Vol. III: (chapter on Phytogeography). Calcutta: New Central Book Agency, 345-365.
^ Snedaker, Samuel. Notes on the Sundarbans with Emphasis on Geology, Hydrology, and Forestry. A.K. Townsend. Retrieved on November 1, 2006.
^ ^a ^b Natural vegetation. West Bengal. Suni System (P) Ltd. Retrieved on October 31, 2006.