Nature’s gifts has to be saved

Any disruption in biodiversity resulting from the shrinking of forests area will cause multiple environmental hazards

Natural forests –the gifts of Almighty Allah – to the people of Bangladesh must be saved and nourished with utmost care. The forest coverage that we have in the country is much too inadequate compared to normal. But what a shocking state of affairs it is that we assume an air of nonchalance while our forests are shrinking fast around the country. Of late the national media ran a startling report that the country's natural forests are being denuded at an alarming rate for lack of effective and conscious conservation efforts. Any manmade or otherwise damage or sabotage done to the existing small ratio of natural forest coverage in the country is tantamount to inviting wrath and fury of nature itself. But the fact is the country's natural forests area is getting rapidly smaller and smaller in coverage than is jugged optimum compared to the area of the country.
It is common knowledge that the denudation of forests is suicidal because of an indifferent attitude to their protection. Today a very poor tract of land in the country is found covered by natural forests but once about 86 per cent of the country's forests were natural. We must be careful in preserving the natural forests land of the country because if the natural forests dwindle, the country will lose the safe haven to wildlife, flora and fauna and rare species. The denudation of natural forests forebodes ill omen for the country’s natural bulwark against disasters and cataclysm. Any disruption in biodiversity resulting from the shrinking of forests area will cause multiple environmental hazards.
In 1990 natural hill forests in the country were 1, 28,630 hectares and within the span of twenty five years in 2015 that came down to 79,160 hectares. The inland deciduous Shal forests and bamboo forests are the worst affected forests in the country. This gives a despairing and discouraging message for the country’s ecologists who clamour for redress to climate change effects. The grim fallout of the indiscriminate destruction of country’s natural forests is that 31 species: 11 animals, 19 birds and one reptile have already vanished from the country.
In recent years the natural mangrove forests Sundarbans has also suffered repetitive manmade disasters. This super sylvan beauty of nature is also being shrinking and dwindling because of the forest vandals causing damage to the unique eco-system it provides. Its function as a protective barrier in the south-western region of the country against coastal erosion and natural disasters like casual cyclones is also being disturbed. Added to this indiscriminate deforestation is going on unabated in other places of the country due to unplanned urbanisation and industrialisation, construction of a lot of establishments and roads.
It goes without saying that wildlife and biodiversity will be extinct if the natural system of a forest is carelessly, intentionally and continually dest­royed in the country. What we need most urgently in order to protect the natural forests is the science-based knowledge and awareness. Since massive pressure of population is mounting on forest resources of the country, to regenerate the natural forests it is time that we need to take up an appropriate afforestation plan. Widespread and rampant timber logging and theft must be strictly and immediately dealt with by the forest conservation staff and corruption in this regard on the part of forest conservation officials must be curbed. Moreover, the capacity of the forest department must be buttressed to conserve the natural forests of the country.  
      Of late an attempt is under way to build a coal-based power plant at Rampal in the vicinity of the grand natural forest Sundarbans. This will result in a manmade catastrophe to this precious natural treasure of the country. National and international experts opine and express their utmost concern that Rampal power plant will cause severe damage to the Sundarbans. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) expressed concern over the potential damage to the Sundarbans and requested the Bangladesh government to conduct a revised Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) before advancing with the physical work of the thermal power plant at Rampal. For the third time in the last two years the UNESCO has so far expressed grave concerns about the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest with outstanding universal value. A report was sent by the UNESCO to the Bangladesh government, after the visit of a three-member reaction mission team of the organisation, seeking a specific assessment of the potential impacts of the thermal power plant near the Sundarbans.     
Concerned experts opine that it will be wise to heed and take the third UNESCO letter as a grave warning message regarding the Rampal power plant. The claim by any quarter that the UNESCO report was largely based on the opinions of the anti-power plant groups does not simply stand to reason as the ecologists in unison strongly oppose the building of any coal-based power plant in the immediate vicinity of the Sundarbans. In Bonn, in order to assess the cumulative impact from power plants in the vicinity of the Sundarbans, the UNESCO had requested the Bangladesh government to undertake a comprehensive Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in the 39th annual meeting of the World Heritage Committee held in 2015.
The UNESCO report strictly warned that the Sundarbans, the world heritage site and its biodiversity will be in peril if the thermal power plant is built there in Rampal. In its upcoming 40th meeting due in October 2016 in Istanbul the world heritage committee of the UNESCO will discuss the issue. Only those heritage sites have Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) that contains the important natural habitats for the conservation of biological diversity, according to the UNESCO.
Therefore, the policymakers have to cogitate over the matter as any departure from the OUV conditions may jeopardise the present status of the nature’s precious gift the Sundarbans. But the advice of the UNESCO on Rampal power plant seems to have fallen on deaf ears of the present government. On September 24, 2016 the state minister for power and energy said that the construction work on Rampal plant would not be suspended or abandoned despite UNESCO suggestion to cancel the Rampal coal-fired power plant project near the Sundarbans. A national movement is also under way against the Rampal power plant to save the Sundarbans. The government is up to suppress the movement by force.
But the government has to keep in mind that if it proceeds with the Rampal thermal power project it will not only be tantamount to antagonizing the UNESCO but also national public opinion.  It is also to be remembered that the consequence will be disastrous for us if the UNESCO declares Sundarbans as a very risky world heritage site. However, we cannot afford to lose the special fund and ancillary benefits given for the protection of Sundarbans as the world heritage site.
The ultimate result will be the ruin of the Sundarbans that maintains the ecological balance of the country and the habitat of numerous species and varieties of wild life including the world famous Bengal Tigers that we boast of and varieties of beautiful deer.  

The writer is a retired Professor of Economics

 

Natures gifts has to be saved

Any disruption in biodiversity resulting from the shrinking of forests area will cause multiple environmental hazards

Natural forests the gifts of Almighty Allah to the people of Bangladesh must be saved and nourished with utmost care. The forest coverage that we have in the country is much too inadequate compared to normal. But what a shocking state of affairs it is that we assume an air of nonchalance while our forests are shrinking fast around the country. Of late the national media ran a startling report that the countrys natural forests are being denuded at an alarming rate for lack of effective and conscious conservation efforts. Any manmade or otherwise damage or sabotage done to the existing small ratio of natural forest coverage in the country is tantamount to inviting wrath and fury of nature itself. But the fact is the countrys natural forests area is getting rapidly smaller and smaller in coverage than is jugged optimum compared to the area of the country. It is common knowledge that the denudation of forests is suicidal because of an indifferent attitude to their protection. Today a very poor tract of land in the country is found covered by natural forests but once about 86 per cent of the countrys forests were natural. We must be careful in preserving the natural forests land of the country because if the natural forests dwindle, the country will lose the safe haven to wildlife, flora and fauna and rare species. The denudation of natural forests forebodes ill omen for the countrys natural bulwark against disasters and cataclysm. Any disruption in biodiversity resulting from the shrinking of forests area will cause multiple environmental hazards. In 1990 natural hill forests in the country were 1, 28,630 hectares and within the span of twenty five years in 2015 that came down to 79,160 hectares. The inland deciduous Shal forests and bamboo forests are the worst affected forests in the country. This gives a despairing and discouraging message for the countrys ecologists who clamour for redress to climate change effects. The grim fallout of the indiscriminate destruction of countrys natural forests is that 31 species: 11 animals, 19 birds and one reptile have already vanished from the country. In recent years the natural mangrove forests Sundarbans has also suffered repetitive manmade disasters. This super sylvan beauty of nature is also being shrinking and dwindling because of the forest vandals causing damage to the unique eco-system it provides. Its function as a protective barrier in the south-western region of the country against coastal erosion and natural disasters like casual cyclones is also being disturbed. Added to this indiscriminate deforestation is going on unabated in other places of the country due to unplanned urbanisation and industrialisation, construction of a lot of establishments and roads. It goes without saying that wildlife and biodiversity will be extinct if the natural system of a forest is carelessly, intentionally and continually destroyed in the country. What we need most urgently in order to protect the natural forests is the science-based knowledge and awareness. Since massive pressure of population is mounting on forest resources of the country, to regenerate the natural forests it is time that we need to take up an appropriate afforestation plan. Widespread and rampant timber logging and theft must be strictly and immediately dealt with by the forest conservation staff and corruption in this regard on the part of forest conservation officials must be curbed. Moreover, the capacity of the forest department must be buttressed to conserve the natural forests of the country. Of late an attempt is under way to build a coal-based power plant at Rampal in the vicinity of the grand natural forest Sundarbans. This will result in a manmade catastrophe to this precious natural treasure of the country. National and international experts opine and express their utmost concern that Rampal power plant will cause severe damage to the Sundarbans. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) expressed concern over the potential damage to the Sundarbans and requested the Bangladesh government to conduct a revised Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) before advancing with the physical work of the thermal power plant at Rampal. For the third time in the last two years the UNESCO has so far expressed grave concerns about the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest with outstanding universal value. A report was sent by the UNESCO to the Bangladesh government, after the visit of a three-member reaction mission team of the organisation, seeking a specific assessment of the potential impacts of the thermal power plant near the Sundarbans. Concerned experts opine that it will be wise to heed and take the third UNESCO letter as a grave warning message regarding the Rampal power plant. The claim by any quarter that the UNESCO report was largely based on the opinions of the anti-power plant groups does not simply stand to reason as the ecologists in unison strongly oppose the building of any coal-based power plant in the immediate vicinity of the Sundarbans. In Bonn, in order to assess the cumulative impact from power plants in the vicinity of the Sundarbans, the UNESCO had requested the Bangladesh government to undertake a comprehensive Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in the 39th annual meeting of the World Heritage Committee held in 2015. The UNESCO report strictly warned that the Sundarbans, the world heritage site and its biodiversity will be in peril if the thermal power plant is built there in Rampal. In its upcoming 40th meeting due in October 2016 in Istanbul the world heritage committee of the UNESCO will discuss the issue. Only those heritage sites have Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) that contains the important natural habitats for the conservation of biological diversity, according to the UNESCO. Therefore, the policymakers have to cogitate over the matter as any departure from the OUV conditions may jeopardise the present status of the natures precious gift the Sundarbans. But the advice of the UNESCO on Rampal power plant seems to have fallen on deaf ears of the present government. On September 24, 2016 the state minister for power and energy said that the construction work on Rampal plant would not be suspended or abandoned despite UNESCO suggestion to cancel the Rampal coal-fired power plant project near the Sundarbans. A national movement is also under way against the Rampal power plant to save the Sundarbans. The government is up to suppress the movement by force. But the government has to keep in mind that if it proceeds with the Rampal thermal power project it will not only be tantamount to antagonizing the UNESCO but also national public opinion. It is also to be remembered that the consequence will be disastrous for us if the UNESCO declares Sundarbans as a very risky world heritage site. However, we cannot afford to lose the special fund and ancillary benefits given for the protection of Sundarbans as the world heritage site. The ultimate result will be the ruin of the Sundarbans that maintains the ecological balance of the country and the habitat of numerous species and varieties of wild life including the world famous Bengal Tigers that we boast of and varieties of beautiful deer. The writer is a retired Professor of Economics