Kochi: Rising sea levels caused by climate change threaten to wipe out the Sundarbans— a large mangrove forest area shared by India and Bangladesh — and thus the beautiful Bengal tigers, according to a leading conservation organisation.
“Without mitigation efforts, the projected sea level rise — nearly a foot by 2070 — could destroy nearly the entire Sundarbans tiger habitat,” International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said quoting a WWF study on the occasion of International Tiger Day on Wednesday. The world’s largest tiger population is found in the Sundarbans, on the northern coast of the Indian Ocean.
“This area harbours Bengal tigers and protects coastal regions from storm surges and wind damage. However, rising sea levels that were caused by climate change threaten to wipe out these forests and the last remaining habitat of this tiger population,” IUCN said.
