The Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, will reopen to tourists and forest-dependent communities on Monday (September 1), following a three-month closure.
Authorities suspended all forest activities — including tourism, fishing, honey collection, and wood gathering — from June through August to protect the region’s biodiversity during the peak breeding season for wildlife and fish. The annual closure is implemented under the directive of the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change.
Imran Ahmed, Forest Conservator of the Khulna region, confirmed the reopening and said that from September 1, tourists, fishermen, and other forest dwellers would be allowed access with proper permits.
“We have already held meetings with tour operators, launch and trawler owners, instructing them not to leave behind any plastic waste and to ensure visitors strictly follow forest regulations,” he told Banglanews.
To welcome the return of visitors, 11 designated tourism centres — including Kotka, Kochikhali, Karamjal, Harbaria, and Andharmanik — have been fully prepared with enhanced safety measures. Meanwhile, fishermen have been crowding forest offices to obtain entry permits for fishing expeditions.
Nazmul Alam David, General Secretary of the Tour Operators Association of Sundarbans, expressed optimism, saying, “After three months of closure, we are thrilled. Launches and vessels from various tour companies in Khulna are ready to sail, and we expect 4–5 vessels to head into the Sundarbans on the first day. Like every year, we hope visitors will once again enjoy the forest’s majestic beauty.”
The Sundarbans, covering 6,017 square kilometres — including 4,143 sq km of forest and 1,874 sq km of water — is home to approximately 30 million people who rely on it for their livelihood. During the annual honey-harvesting season, around 1,000 honey collectors (mouals) and countless fishermen and wood collectors (bawalis) enter the forest.
UNESCO designated 139,700 hectares of the forest — including the Kotka-Kochikhali, Nilkomol, and Mandarbaria marine zones — as a World Heritage Site on December 6, 1997.
Rich in natural diversity, the Sundarbans is home to over 334 species of trees and shrubs, 165 types of algae, and 13 species of orchids. It supports 375 species of wildlife, including the iconic Royal Bengal Tiger, spotted and barking deer, estuarine crocodiles, pythons, turtles, and the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin. The 2004 UNDP wildlife census recorded 440 tigers, 150,000 deer, 50,000 monkeys, 25,000 wild boars, and 200 crocodiles.
Aquatic life is equally diverse, with 210 species of white fish, 26 types of shrimp, 13 crab species, one lobster species, and 42 molluscs. The forest yields 15,000–20,000 maunds (roughly 600–800 tonnes) of honey annually.
About 120 tour operators are licensed to conduct guided trips in the Sundarbans. Of these, 15–20 maintain high standards with modern watercraft and safety protocols.
Notable tourist sites include the Karamjal crocodile breeding centre, Harbaria eco-centre, Kotka and Kochikhali wildlife sanctuaries, Nilkomol sanctuary, Shekherhat Temple, Kalagachia eco-tourism centre, and the Mandarbaria sanctuary.
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