We all will have to keep continuing our campaign of no destruction of forest further marking the International Day of Forests 2024 that was observed on Thursday in the country like elsewhere in the world. The day aims to draw attention to the importance of keeping forest intact. This year’s theme of the day is “Forest and Innovation: New Solution for a Better World.”
We celebrate the day to raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests. But unfortunately, our forests are still shrinking.
Efforts must be taken at local, national and international level to organise activities involving forests and trees, such as tree planting campaigns. To protect ecological balance, a country needs 25 per cent forest land of its total area while Bangladesh has only 14.1 per cent including the leased out forest land.
The reserve forests are declared national park for the development and conservation of plant and bio-diversity enriched areas. However, the non-stop grabbing is causing the lush green woodlands to shrink fast, destroying the country’s reserve forest.
The country’s total forest area has shrunk by 65,000 hectares in the last 27 years. A total of 13,000 hectares of forest disappeared in the last seven years.
More than 65.8 per cent of the country’s forest is at risk of severe damage. Bangladesh has a total forest area of 6,368,859 acres of which 4,652,249 acres are under forest department.
Country’s total forest area
has shrunk by 65,000
hectares in the last 27 years.
Sundarbans, the largest reserve forest in the country and a world heritage site, Lawachara National Park in Moulvibazar district, Gazipur Sal forest and other forests and jungles are facing serious disaster as a section of influential quarters continue to grab them. The hills are also being destroyed due to mindless deforestation and earth cutting for lack of monitoring and effective action plan to protect those.
Therefore, wild animals, birds and other creatures living in the forests are also decreasing. Besides, rare and endangered animals are also being killed in the forest frequently.
The government must take necessary steps to stop deforestation and evict forest grabbers to protect the environment and save wild lives. The environment and forest ministry must take a crash programme to recover the occupied land of the forest department. This does not brook any delay.
The ministry will also have to prepare a list of people and organisations that grabbed the land of the forest department, including a top-ten one, and publish it on the website, if necessary. Our forests are facing serious disaster as a section of influential people continued grabbing the reserve woodland in many ways under the very nose of the authorities concerned.
These influential people and musclemen in association with local armed middlemen have set up different structures like resorts and factories on the grabbed lands. At first, the armed middlemen are selling the legal forest land to those vested quarters and later they are also selling the forest land illegally. And the organised land grabbers are occupying the reserve forest land.
As the reserve forests have become increasingly popular these days because of their natural beauty. People from different parts of the country and abroad visit the place. Therefore, seizing the opportunity, the vested quarters have established luxurious resorts that offer the guests a chance to enjoy panoramic the beauty of nature.
But the forest department remains silent in this regard, local alleged. The deputy commissioners of districts concerned must come forward to protect the forest land, environment and biodiversity and protect them from adverse effects of climate change alongside forest department.
The authorities will also have to take necessary steps to stop deforestation to protect environment. To achieve Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, Bangladesh will have to show indispensable forest coverage. So, there is no alternative to oust the grabbers and illegal occupants from the country’s reserve forests.
