The worst disaster in the Sundarban mangrove, Bangladesh

As a result of a collision between a tanker and a cargo ship, more than 350,000 litres of oil spilled into the Sela river which is part of the Sundarban mangrove in Bangladesh. This is the worst man-made disaster the Sundarbans has ever faced. The area is considered home to the world’s most endangered species such as the masked finfoot, and the Irrawaddy, Gangetic and four other kinds of dolphins and the Bengal tiger, besides harbouring crustaceans, snakes, crocodiles and so on. Moreover, millions of local people rely on the Sundarbans. The clean-up operations are carried out without any protective gear and it’s very slow and the people need professional help.

To find more, please click here (Linked to the BirdLife International webpage).

If you or somebody you know have the following expertise and would be willing to help, please contact Scott Perkin in the IUCN Asia Regional Office;

– advice on best practice methods for rescuing wildlife from oil spills
– experience addressing short and longer-term impacts of oils spills in mangrove protected areas

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