Lothian Island Wildlife Sanctuary, Protected area in South 24 Parganas district, India
Lothian Island Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area on a remote island in the Ganges delta in West Bengal, India, lying close to the Bay of Bengal. The island is entirely covered with mangrove forest, crossed by shallow marshes and narrow water channels that make the ground nearly impossible to walk on.
The sanctuary was designated in 1976 by the Indian government to protect the wetland and the species that depend on it. This happened during a period when mangrove loss across the broader Sundarbans region was drawing growing concern.
Lothian Island has no permanent residents and no tourist infrastructure, so every visit happens under the supervision of forest rangers. This gives the experience a raw, unmediated quality that is hard to find elsewhere in the Sundarbans delta region.
The sanctuary can only be reached by boat from Namkhana, and all visits must be arranged through the local forest department. Since tides and shifting waterways shape conditions on the island, going in the early morning and bringing waterproof gear is a good idea.
Although the island is permanently uninhabited today, it was once used by fishing communities as a seasonal stopping point, traces of which can still be seen in a few abandoned landing spots along the shore. This past human presence sits in sharp contrast with the landscape that nature has since fully reclaimed.
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