Sunderbans under attack, this time from moths

KOLKATA: The Royal Bengal Tiger’s habitat in the Sunderbans has come under a new threat. Insects that once used to invade agricultural lands and inflict heavy losses

KOLKATA: The Royal Bengal Tiger’s habitat in the Sunderbans has come under a new threat. Insects that once used to invade agricultural lands and inflict heavy losses on farmers are now targeting mangroves in the world’s largest mangrove delta.

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Scientists have identified at least 45 species of moth in the Sunderbans, at least 25 of which are recognised as pests that attack different crops including vegetables, tea and cotton among others. Around 16 of these insects have been found in the Sunderbans for the first time.

The Sunderbans — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — located in the extreme south of West Bengal acts as a sponge against cyclones and storms that originate in the Bay of Bengal.

“Scientists are yet to find out whether they have already become mangrove-pests, or are yet to multiply to the extent when they could inflict economic loss. But the signs are alarming,” said Balaram Panja additional divisional forest officer of South 24 Parganas. The discovery of these pests was made by a four-member team comprising scientists from the Zoological Survey of India and other academic institutions. It was led by Bulganin Mitra, senior scientist with the ZSI. The study was carried out between 2014 and 2016 and was recently published in Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies.

Some of these insects such as the Oriental Leaf Worm Moth (Spodoptera litura) are notorious pests as they attack a variety of plants. “The news is worrisome because controlling a pest in a small agricultural farmland is a different issue and tackling them in a mangrove sprawling over two countries and over thousands of square kilometers is an altogether ball game,” said Panja.