Early British Rule
In 1798, a respected British geographer named Francis Buchanan stated that “the woods, however, are not considered as property; for every [peasant] may go into them and cut whatever timber he wants.” At this time, the British government did not intervene in the Sundarbans and, for the most part, allowed the inhabitants to use the land in any way they deemed fit. The British viewed the Sundarbans as a “jungle” infested with deadly diseases and man-eating animals. They also associated the area with the “barbaric” customs and traditions of the local people.
Royal Bengal Tigers
There are many deadly animals, including snakes, crocodiles, and tigers, that are prevalent throughout the Sundarbans. The most notorious of these potential man-killers is the Royal Bengal Tiger, which was viewed by the British authorities as a hinderance to development. Between 1860 and 1866, a single tiger was believed to kill around 40 people each year. Many of the people killed were laborers who were in the midst of reclamation. In order to decrease the amount of killings, the British government began to give rewards to anyone who killed a tiger. This drastically decreased the total tiger population in the Sundarbans. During the same time period, more than 1,200 tigers were killed annually.
The Origins of Protection
Although the Sundarbans forest was declared government property in 1817, it was not declared a protected forest area until 1878. At this time, 4,856 square kilometers in the southeastern part of the Sundarbans was officially preserved by British authorities. The reason behind protecting the forest was to increase revenue for the British and to upgrade the supply and variety of timber. 
There was still little regard for the natural flora and fauna and almost every conservation effort conducted by the British were anthropocentric. Furthermore, this first form of protection was extremely harmful to the original inhabitants of the Sundarbans. Only people authorized by the British authorities were allowed to enter the forest and cut timber, which directly effected the livelihoods of many peasants who relied on the forest to survive. Other inhabitants were forcibly removed from their homes if they were located in the protected forest area.
The Government of India has achieved a lot more progress with forest protection and focus on conserving the natural flora and fauna much more than the British authorities did. However, modern conservation efforts still negatively effect the inhabitants of the Sundarbans.
