Impact of increased salinity on the plant community of the Sundarbans Mangrove of Bangladesh
- PDF / 1,745,135 Bytes
- 12 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 75 Downloads / 212 Views
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Impact of increased salinity on the plant community of the Sundarbans Mangrove of Bangladesh Md. Mizanur Rahman1 Received: 28 May 2020 / Accepted: 25 September 2020 © Akadémiai Kiadó Zrt. 2020
Abstract The overreaching objective of the study was to assess the changes in eco-regional forest composition and the colonization of invasive plant species in the Sundarbans, the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest globally. The study also aimed to examine the relationship between different plant types and the salinity level. Additionally, the interconnection between the salinity and the ‘top dying’ disease of the pioneer and dominant species was also measured. Thirty sample plots were established at the mouths of an equal number of canals to collect the plant community’s primary data. In addition, secondary historical data were utilized to understand the natural dynamics of the forest eco-regions in this mangrove. The study revealed that the fresh swamp forests disappeared from their historical range. Over time, the Screw Pine (Pandanus tectorius) became extinct from the study area. Simultaneously, rice grass (Leersia hexandra) and wild rice (Potresia coarctata) stand on the brink of extinction. Sundari (Heritiera fomes), the pioneer and dominant species, suffers from the increased salinity, and its stocks are declining due to intensified “top dying” disease. In contrast, the salt lover species, notably white mangrove (Avicennia marina), enjoy the incremental hegemony. The abundance of the indicator species, Nypa Palm (Nipa fruticans), and Mangrove Date Palm (Phoenix pelludosa) show a declining trend because of increased salinity. A total number of 25 invasive plant species were enumerated in this study. Immediate mitigation actions are required to protect this alteration in the vegetation composition of this mangrove. Hence, the study proposed a conceptual model of a mitigation plan spotlighting the local pressures. Keywords Climate change · Salinity · Eco-regions · Invasion · Vegetation composition · Abundance
Introduction The Sundarbans, the largest contiguous mangrove ecosystem globally, is located in the southwest corner of Bangladesh while the rest is in the West Bengal of India (Rahman and Vacik 2016). It consists of hundreds of mosaic islands embroidered by canals, lagoons, tidal rivers, estuaries, and creeks (Raha et al. 2012). This mangrove was declared as the World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987, Global Biosphere Reserve in 1989, and the Ramsar Sites in 1992 (Rahman and Vacik 2015). The water outflow from the Sundarbans delta is third-largest in the world, which is also a transitional region between the freshwater originating from the Ganges and the Bay of Bengal (Rahman and Vacik 2016). This * Md. Mizanur Rahman [email protected] 1
Director (Research and Development), Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh
mangrove is inhabited by vascular plants; aquatic animals; birds; amphibians including crocodile; reptiles; mammals incl
Data Loading...
