The also urged the government, NGOs and civil society leaders to build a movement to create awareness among people to resist plunderers and to protect the wildlife and water bodies.

The discussion meeting, jointly organised by the district administration and district forest office, was held at the Shilpakala Academy in the district town.

Additional District Magistrate Shamsuddhoha was the chief guest while Divisional Forest Officer Shah-e-Alam presided over the discussion marking the World Environment Day.

Among others, ADC (general) Mohammad Khalilur Rahman, ex-headmaster Ananta Bihari Khisha, district youth department officer Mizanur Rahman spoke at the meeting, attended by the local elite and journalists.

They said forests are shrinking though governments spent hundreds of crores of taka in last 10 years for afforestation in the three hill districts.

The vast Kaptai Lake is almost of deplete of fish resources though there is scope to produce fishes worth several hundred crores of taka, they said.

The plunderers are few in number and the destruction by them can be stopped if people and the government want sincerely, they said.

They urged all to take a fresh vow to protect the nature and resources in the hills for the sake of the future generation.