![]() ![]() South Sentinel Island is a small flat, coral island, where lagoons mark about half the length of the shore, the rest being rocky or sandy. It is evident that the forest and surrounding coast, which the tribals have protected for centuries, provide all their living requirements. The island appears to be covered by dense tropical rain forests. As the Sentinelese have successfully deterred outsiders, the biodiversity of this island has not been studied or recorded. The forest is more or less intact in North Sentinel as man has not yet reached there, with his chainsaws and concept of “sustainable harvest”. It is surrounded by spectacular inter-tidal coral reefs, reef slopes and shelves, all of which are extensive and need to be assessed, according to Bhaskar (1993), Andrews (1997) (quoted in Andrews and Sankaran 2002). This IBA is also very important as a nesting habitat of the Green Turtle Chelonia mydas. Every year, during March, thousands of Pied Imperial-Pigeon Ducula aenea come from the South and Little Andaman Islands to nest in South Sentinel. It was declared as a Sanctuary in 1997, primarily to protect the Giant Robber Crab Birgus latrao for which South Sentinel is the last stronghold in the Andamans. South Sentinel Islands has been visited by many people but there is no permanent habitation, save the light house, as there is no source of fresh water on this small island. ![]() They vigorously repel any attempt made by government teams or others to communicate with them, by aggressively attacking intruders in their territory (Gandhi 2000). They are the sole inhabitants of the island and successfully retain and defend their traditional lifestyle and pristine territory. The hostile, indigenous Negrito tribe, the Sentinelese, inhabit North Sentinel, which is completely isolated from the rest of the world. North Sentinel is a 4,700 ha, island that lies west of the Wandoor National Park (Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park), while South Sentinel is only 161 ha, located further south. ![]()
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