CASE STUDY SUNDARBANS, THE SINKING ISLANDS The Sundarbans, a group of islands that span the mouth of the Ganges Delta from Eastern India to Bangladesh, are sinking rapidly. The seas around the islands in the Bay of Bengal are rising faster than anywhere else on Earth. The Sundarbans mangrove forest includes a complex network of waterways 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. Due to climate change, sea level is rising so the islands are disappearing and the increasing salinity in the water has severely threatened the health of mangrove forests and the quality of soil. 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 retreating about 200 metres per year. Unless deep and rapid cuts in CO2 emissions are made, most of the Sundarbans may disappear underwater by midcentury, and could be wiped out 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. 8 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 Complete the following sentences. 1. The Sundarbans are a ........................................... 5. The Geological Survey of India has estimated that lies at the mouth of the Ganges delta, that about ........................................... of land have spanning from India to Bangladesh. The been lost in the last ........................................... site is a UNESCO ............................................ and that the coast is receding about 2. The sea in the ........................................... is rising faster than anywhere else on Earth, so the ........................................... are sinking rapidly. 3. The area includes a network of ........................................... per year. 6. About 4.37 million people and several ...................... ...................... live there. 7. In the next decades, ........................................... could ........................................... and small have a devastating impact on the 500 million islands covered by a large forest of people of the Ganges basin. ........................................... . 4. The increasing ........................................... has 8. Unless important steps to reduce ......................................... are made, most of the damaged the health of mangrove forests Sundarbans may disappear underwater and the quality of ............................................ ........................................... . THE ENVIROMENT 51