Unique biodiversity must be protected against threat

L-R: Large colonies of Apis dorsata in the mangrove forest where disturbance is poor or absent. Bees are collecting honey and at the same time they are carrying out gene-flow activities for the plants while they are in sound environmental condition in the forest.

It goes without saying that Sundarbans is an important forest and the most beautiful ecosystem in the world. There are hundreds of articles on the question of importance of Sundarbans forest, dozens of projects have been undertaken and still there are many in the pipe line. All these are supposed to be for conservation of biodiversity of the forest and enhancement of flora and fauna population. But it is very unfortunate that so many projects are attempted spending huge amount of money for the betterment of the situation, yet the condition deteriorates.
Scientists and biodiversity specialists believe that the Sundarbans is a unique mangrove ecosystem in the world. This is unique ecosystem no doubt, but why it is unique? The question is rarely analyzed and poorly emphasized on the basis of scientific reasons. The reasons may be as the following:
* Largest mangrove ecosystem in the world with highest sequence of plant-animal interactions and interrelations.
* There are about thirty-five species of dominating plants that are holding the major structural biotic formation of the mangrove forest.
* Of the thirty-five dominating plants, about twelve to fifteen are responsible to provide natural honey-sources during their reproductive stage.
* Sundarbans ecosystem provides more than half of the total honey-production in the country by the single species of honey bee which is unique in the world.
* Honey bee-plant interaction is the key factor in the process of keeping the ecosystem healthy which is unique in the world.
* Sundarbans ecosystem maintains the proper habitat and niche for tigers and deer in combination.
* Sundarbans ecosystem harbours very vital breeding grounds for aquatic flora and fauna. The ecosystem maintains assemblage of the highest number of trophic levels in the world.
If we go to explain the above seven points it will be very large in volume. Only one example we shall select today that how interaction between dominating plant species and the bees in the forest holds uniqueness of the mangrove ecosystem.
In the Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem, it is found that about 35 wild and forest plant species are related with honey bees' activities called “apiculture” and so called “honey-collection”. Fortunately these are the dominating species in the Sundarbans forest. Out of the 35 plant species, 9 to 11 plants and their reproductive stage (flowering stages) are deeply associated (functionally related) with the honey production periodicity (the seasonality of honey collection), forest-plant gene-flow functionality, sustenance of forest health, maintenance of general equilibrium position (GEP) of bee population, maintenance of bee progeny system (in natural system) and finally the maintenance of bee-caste system.
In the Sundarbans, the deep relation between plants and the so called 'honey-collection' by 'mawallis' during the time period of April to June in the year are very much important vis-a-vis appearance of flowers on them. These plants are Khulshi (Aegiceras cornuculatum), Baen (Avicennia officinal is), Kankra (Brugguiera gymnorrhiza), Goran (Ceriops decandra), Gewa (Excoecaria agallocha), Jhana/garzon (Rhizophora mucronata), Keora (Sonneratia apetala and S. acida), Passur (Xylocarpus mekongenesis) and Hargoza (Acanthus ilicifolius). In addition to that many other plants are also related but their flowering periods are not so synchronisingly associated with the temporal facts of time and honey collection in the ecosystem.
Of the major plants khulshi flowering period continues for the period of March-April; baen flowers remain functional for the period of May-June; kankra gives lower bloom during the month of April; goran flowering continues from the month of April to the end of May; jhana/garzan is provided with appearance of flowers for the period of March-April; keora species gives flower at the end of April and continues up to the end of May; passur flowering lasts for the months of March and April; and hargoza maintains flowering for the months of May-June.
In the plant kingdom (especially in the case of flowering plants), flowering period is the most vital time for gene-flow success, for population maintenance, for fructification success, and for healthiness of the ecosystem where they are living or/and propagating their generations. These functionalities in the plants are dependent (especially in the forest ecosystem) on the animals' life cycle and are associated with synchronisation of coincidences between the 'flowering' of the plants and the 'life stages' of the animals concerned, especially bees.
These facts are externalities of the interactions that depend on the synchronisation of coincidences between the phenological stages of the related plants and the life stages of (specially the caste system) of the honey bees. This coincidence happens during the time-period of the reproductive stages of the related plants. It needs to be examined what is going on in the Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem regarding the reproductive (flowering) stages of the plants and the normal activities of the bees. How gene-flow in the plant population and the healthiness of the forest status are hampered which causes depletion of biodiversity as a whole. In this regard the interesting matter is the dynamism of the fact that starts at the atomic levels and is expressed at the community levels. This dynamism entertains a self-sustained natural system. The natural sustain-system is being practiced naturally for the mechanisation of plant gene-flow. The gene-flow mechanisation is carried out by bees.
It is to be seriously considered that the major plants responsible for providing nectars for preparing honey by the bees remain in flowering stage during the months of April to June. On the other hand, the wild bees are then dependent on the pollens and nectars for the maintenance of their reproduced progeny. This type of unique forest ecosystem is the proper natural process for maintenance of the forest's healthiness. If the honey collection takes place in the immature stage of the honey comb and the maintenance of caste system in honey bees is destroyed so brutally, the healthiness of the plants in the forest definitely stands vulnerable because the floral reproductive activities are put under unusual passage. Obviously the plants in the forest will be at risk of being attacked by various diseases easily. Ultimately forest status will have to be threatened and declined continuously.
The unique bonding between two biotic aspects is the characteristic of the Sundarbans ecosystem. If the natural bonding is disturbed by any means specially by the man-made causes like constructions and direct interference to the interactive molecular level, then what is to be done by the proper authority either at the national or global level is well understood. They must rise to the occasion without any dilly-dallying.

The writer is Professor, Department of Zoology and former Dean, Faculty of Biological Sciences University of Dhaka.