Char Kukri-Mukri Wildlife Sanctuary (Bengali: চর কুকরি মুকরি বন্যপ্রানী সংরক্ষণ অভয়ারন্য) is a wildlife sanctuary in southern Charfession Upazila of Bangladesh, located on Char Kukri Mukri island in the Bay of Bengal. The area of the sanctuary is 40 ha (99 acres), and is elongated in shape. It is 130 km from Barisal town in the gangetic delta on the mouth of Meghna river. It is also called Charfasson wildlife sanctuary. Most part of the sanctuary is submerged twice in a day due to high tide and is covered with dense mangrove vegetation.[1] The soil type is clay.
| Char Kukri-Mukri Wildlife Sanctuary | |
|---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
 Mangroves in the sanctuary | |
  Char Kukri-Mukri Wildlife Sanctuary Location in Bangladesh  Char Kukri-Mukri Wildlife Sanctuary Char Kukri-Mukri Wildlife Sanctuary (Bangladesh) | |
| Location | Bhola District, Barisal Division, Bangladesh |
| Nearest city | Bhola |
| Coordinates | 21°55′32.1″N 90°38′49.4″E / 21.925583°N 90.647056°E |
| Area | 40 ha (99 acres) |
| Established | 19-12-1981 |
Climate
editThe rainfall is very high during the monsoon season, the recorded rainfall is 2,790 mm (110 in) round the year.[1] The climate is hot and humid round the year. The sanctuary is dissected by 6 small Khals or creeks.[2]
History
editAccording to the local people the human habitation started on the island around 1930 during the British Raj. The Bhola cyclone which hit the Bangladesh in 1970[3] had swept the entire human population on the island. After the cyclone, in the year 1973/1974 people again migrated to the island and started fishing and cultivation. Bangladesh forest department started afforestation of many mangrove species on the island.
Management
editThe park is managed by 1 Range officer and 1 forest beat guard. It is administered by the Coastal Forest Division at Bhola. It was declared as wildlife sanctuary on 19-12-1981 under the Bangladesh wildlife (Preservation) Amendment Act of 1947.[1] No forestry activities is carried out in the mangrove forest except conservation activities.
Flora and fauna
editThe sanctuary has an estuarine ecosystem; the sanctuary is covered with mangrove forest on the major part with intermittent open mudflats.
Flora
edit277 species of plants belonging to 76 families were identified from the sanctuary and on the island. These species include 91 tree species, 33 shrub species, 118 herbs and 35 climbers.[2] The Mangrove species like (Sonneratia apetala),Baine (Avicennia officinalis), Geoa (Excoecaria agallocha), (Acanthus ilicifolius),Khalisha (Ageiceras maius) and Typha angustifolia are common.[1]
Fauna
editCommon mammals include Fishing cat (Felis viverrina) and Oriental small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinerea). Water fowl species of Bitterns, Herons, Egrets, kingfishers are very common. Eight species of Herons breed in the sanctuary. The Grey Pelican or Spot-billed pelican which is included in the Near threatened species list of IUCN Red data Book[4] is also found in this sanctuary. All three species of Monitor lizard namely (Varanus salvator), Bengal monitor (Varanus bengalensis) and Yellow monitor (Varanus flavescens) are also found in the sanctuary.
Threats
editThe threats are encroachment for cultivation land and excessive fishing by the local people and invasion of the exotic foreign plant species.[2]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c d Green, Michael J.B. (1990). IUCN directory SouthAsian Protected Areas (PDF) (First ed.). Cambridge, UK: IUCN Publication. p. 15. ISBN 2-8317-0030-2. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
- ^ a b c Uddin, M.Z.; Md Abiabdullah (December 2016). "TAXONOMIC STUDY ON THE ANGIOSPERMS OF CHAR KUKRI MUKRI WILDLIFE SANCTUARY, BHOLA DISTRICT". Journal of Asiatic Society. Bangladesh. 42 (2): 153–168. doi:10.3329/jasbs.v42i2.46219. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- ^ "Bhola Cyclone in 1970". www.arcgis.com. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
- ^ "IUCN Red list". www.iucnredlist.org. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. October 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2019.