The dwindling forests
WE learn it from no less a person than the finance minister that forest coverage has come down to only nine percent. He emphasized on social afforestation and massive tree plantation in each village to face the climate change impacts. His observations came at the inaugural session of the first Bangladesh Forestry Congress 2011 held in Dhaka.
However going by the official estimate the forest coverage is seventeen percent in the country, which of course belies reality. The information is indeed very discouraging in that the fast diminishing forests is pushing us into a catastrophic situation. The negative effect is already being felt. The heating of the climate and desertification are causing harmful effects on habitation and cultivation.
The indiscriminate felling of trees for housing and industrialization, increasing population and lack of proper land use plan are to be blamed for the dwindling forests. Adequate plantation has not been done to make up for the lost trees. In addition to providing ecological balance the forests meet demand for timber, firewood, fibre and myriads of other forest produces. The sector also contributes to income generation and poverty reduction.
The initiative of the forest directorate for social afforestation program is a welcome step towards saving this shrinking natural resource. Foremost will be protection and conservation of forest lands. The logical move would be to delegate some of the responsibilities of protecting the forest lands to the local communities who are naturally motivated for the job with their inherent knowledge of woods and the geography of the region.
We sincerely hope that the authorities concerned and their development partners would work together to raise awareness among policy makers, the general public and the private sector of the importance of biodiversity in general and ecosystems in particular to development and the consequences of its loss. Above all, stringent measures must be taken against the poachers.
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