Opening the tiger population survey at a simple ceremony at Jaimani School playground in Chandpai forest range, the minister said the Sundarbans is both environmentally and economically important for the country.

Referring to providing employment opportunities to the people in the 10,006 sq km stretched Sundarbans forest, he said a number of measures would be taken to ensure the conservation of the world heritage site.

West Bengal Minister for Forests Jogesh Chandra Barman also led an 11-member Indian delegation at the inaugural ceremony.

A total of 32 teams with six Indian tiger experts start combing the forest today to track tiger pug-marks. The drive ends on March 3 and the surveyors would submit their report in the middle of this year, sources said.

Meanwhile, forest department officials in West Bengal conducted such survey in its side in January.

Recently, Bangladesh and India agreed to conduct Bengal Tiger census in the world's largest mangrove forest in the respective parts of their countries.