Published: 11:57 PM, 26 July 2026
Sundarbans faces mounting threats from pollution, industry and climate change
The Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest, is facing mounting threats from industrial pollution, climate change and a range of human activities that conservationists warn are steadily degrading its fragile ecosystem.
From illegal logging, wildlife poaching and poisoning fish to plastic pollution, unchecked tourism and industrial expansion, environmentalists and experts say the UNESCO World Heritage Site continues to suffer despite repeated calls for stronger protection.
The International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem is observed on Jul 26 each year to raise awareness of the importance of mangrove forests.
Bangladesh also marks the day, but campaigners say efforts to stop the activities driving the destruction of the Sundarbans remain inadequate, reports bdnews24.com.
Abdullah Harun Chowdhury, a professor at the Environmental Science Discipline of Khulna University, said nearly 50 heavy industries, including cement factories, LPG plants and oil refineries, had been established near the Sundarbans over the past decade.
He also pointed to the construction of a large government food warehouse close to the forest.
"Untreated liquid waste from these factories is discharged directly into rivers, from where it spreads into the Sundarbans through smaller canals, polluting water and soil," he told bdnews24.com.
"As a result, natural regeneration has declined in many parts of the forest. Rising levels of oil pollution in rivers are also threatening aquatic life."
More than 2,000 of Bangladesh's over 11,000 recorded animal species are found in the Sundarbans, alongside 334 plant species.
Experts say climate change and direct human pollution are placing increasing pressure on the forest's biodiversity.
Quoting a 2015 assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the World Bank says 19 bird species, 11 mammal species and one reptile species have become regionally extinct in the Sundarbans. Fish and tree species are also facing the risk of extinction.
Environmental specialists say industries near the forest, the Rampal power plant and nearby resorts have become major sources of environmental damage.
They also cite uncontrolled tourism, plastic pollution, commercial shipping through the forest, cargo vessel accidents, poisoning fish, excessive extraction of natural resources, illegal logging, arson and wildlife poaching as major threats.
These activities are affecting the forest's rivers, soil, vegetation and wildlife.
The government has declared 52 percent of the Sundarbans a wildlife sanctuary and designated a 10-kilometre surrounding zone as an Ecologically Critical Area (ECA).
However, Prof Abdullah said the Rampal coal-fired power plant, which began operations in December 2022, has become one of the forest's most significant threats.
"The plant is discharging polluted water into the Maidara and Pashur rivers without treatment. Its emissions and wastewater are causing serious damage to the Sundarbans," he said.
TOURISM-DRIVEN POLLUTION:
Resorts and holiday cottages have sprung up along the edge of the Sundarbans, adding a new source of environmental pressure to the fragile ecosystem.
At least 30 cottages and resorts have been built beside the forest without approval from the Department of Environment (DoE), according to environmental campaigners.
These are located in Kailashganj, Dhangmari and Banishanta in Dacope, Mongla in Bagerhat, and Shyamnagar in Satkhira.
Many of the facilities have been built after clearing forest vegetation and filling canals adjacent to the Sundarbans.
