Protecting Sundarbans
The government
should take effective and sustained measures to protect the forest from the vicious elements
More than half of the Sundarbans total area (in Bangladesh) is designated as sanctuary, which will be very helpful for the protection of wildlife in the mangrove forest. According to a report of this newspaper yesterday, the government has imposed a ban on collection of all types of wild resources from areas designated as sanctuaries in the forest. Now, the collection of all types of forest resources including fish in the sanctuary areas has been banned. But why half of the mangrove forest is designated as sanctuary? Why not the full?
The people of Bangladesh can take pride in the Sundarbans as it has been recognised as a world heritage site and home to various species of plant and animal life. The majestic Royal Bengal Tiger that dwells in the forest epitomizes bravery and valour of the people of Bangladesh. But it is extremely worrying that this animal has become the target of the poachers. Dwindling tiger population amply testifies to that.
The Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans is bigger than the Indian one in terms of acreage. But the number of tigers dwelling in the Indian part has outnumbered the tigers living Bangladesh part of the forest. The number of tigers in our part of the forest should have been much more than the Indian one. But the reverse is occurring. The animal that is exclusively our valuable asset seems to be glorifying the Indian nationals. It is very unfortunate.
Similarly, deer and other animals are being killed indiscriminately. Hides of tigers and deer are being sold at exorbitant prices. Rampant felling of valuable trees of the forest by bandits makes newspaper headlines very often. A section of dishonest officials of the Forest Department are abetting the crimes in exchange for bribes. In this way, Sundarbans and its valuable resources are being ravaged. The forest which is playing a vital role in protecting environment, bio-diversity, maintaining ecological balance, and is a part of the life force of the country, is now facing an existential crisis.
If the present trend of destroying the forest goes on, it will leave an adverse impact on various sectors of the country, including the economy. The government should take a tough stand in this regard. Sundarbans is nobodys personal property; its the state property. The government should take effective and sustained measures to protect the forest from the vicious elements. A contingency plan can be taken up in this regard. The sooner it is done, the better.
