What’s Keeping the Mangroves of the Sundarbans Alive?

30 October 2025

While the Sundarbans are hailed as an oasis of biodiversity, an incredible, resilient network of roots supports it.

These are the mangroves.

The Sundari mangrove, from which the Sundarbans draw their name, is fast disappearing, listed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List.

These trees survive as long as their aerial roots have access to air. As sea levels rise, the roots become submerged and the incoming tidal waters grow increasingly saline.

Without the mangroves, the islands will be prone to disastrous waves, tides, cyclones, and storms.

But even while knowing the significance of the mangroves, there are many elements that help their survival and, in turn, the ecosystem’s.

The garjan, a mangrove that stands on stilt-like roots, anchors itself with a wide, umbrella-shaped base that keeps it steady against harsh tides and shifting sands.

Pneumatophores — vertical aerial roots — extend upward from the mangrove’s subterranean system, piercing the surface to aid in respiration.

In the oxygen-poor soil of mangroves, these root adaptations act like snorkels, allowing the underground network to breathe.

Dhani, a delicate, hay-coloured grass on the edges of the shores, steadies the soil and makes room for bigger, sturdier mangroves.

While terrestrial tree roots draw oxygen from the soil, mangroves thrive on loose, saline, oxygen-poor clay.

A lateral network of cable roots supports the tree, while aerial roots take in oxygen through small circular pores called lenticels, in turn sustaining the ecosystem beneath them.

This story is part of a content series by The Better India and Roundglass Sustain.