CASE STUDY SUNDARBANS, THE SINKING ISLANDS The Sundarbans, a group of islands that the mouth of the Ganges Delta from Eastern India to Bangladesh, are rapidly. The seas around the islands in the Bay of Bengal are rising faster than anywhere else on Earth. The Sundarbans forest includes a complex network of and small islands. The area has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. The habitat supports approximately 4.37 million people and several animal species. climate change, sea level is rising so the islands are disappearing and the increasing salinity in the water has severely the health of mangrove forests and the quality of soil. span sinking mangrove waterways Due to threatened The Geological Survey of India has estimated that 210 square kilometres of land have been lost in the last 30 years and that the coast is about 200 metres per year. Unless deep and rapid cuts in CO₂ emissions are made, most of the Sundarbans may disappear underwater by mid-century, and could be by the end of the century. Sea-level rise and loss of the Sundarbans could have a devastating impact on the 500 million people of the Ganges basin. retreating wiped out 8 Complete the following sentences. The Sundarbans are a __________ that lies at the mouth of the Ganges delta, spanning from India to Bangladesh. The site is a UNESCO __________. The sea in the __________ is rising faster than anywhere else on Earth, so the __________ are sinking rapidly. The area includes a network of __________ and small islands covered by a large forest of __________. The increasing __________ has damaged the health of mangrove forests and the quality of __________. The Geological Survey of India has estimated that about __________ of land have been lost in the last __________ and that the coast is receding about __________ per year. About 4.37 million people and several __________ live there. In the next decades, __________ could have a devastating impact on the 500 million people of the Ganges basin. Unless important steps to reduce __________ are made, most of the Sundarbans may disappear underwater __________. GLOSSARY due to: a causa di mangrove: mangrovie to retreat: ritirarsi to sink: affondare to span: estendersi to threaten: minacciare waterway: corso d'acqua to wipe out: cancellare