Replying to a query from ruling Awami League MP from Chattogram M Abdul Latif, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Affairs Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury told Parliament that over 2.57 lakh acres of land of the forest department is under illegal occupation. Of the total grabbed land, a total of 30,162 acres has been recovered from the clutches of grabbers as of last May.
To maintain a country’s natural environment, forest should cover at least 25 percent of its area. Bangladesh has only 15.58 percent of its total area covered with forest.
Some influential quarters are still cutting down trees and leveling hills across the country putting the environment of the country in jeopardy. Many areas of the country may face serious disaster as an unscrupulous influential quarter continues destroying the forest, in gross breach of environmental laws.
The situation of tree felling and deforestation in Bangladesh is severe, with considerable impacts on the country’s climate and heatwave conditions. Forests are not only key habitats for animal life but serve as important regulators of the global climate and carbon sponges that suck in the emissions human activity belches out.
Deforestation refers to a wide range of harms, including wildfires and biodiversity loss, which affect a forest’s overall health. Experts say that the environment is gradually heating up due to frequent and unnecessary tree-cutting. The country’s people have started facing the consequences of prolonged deforestation and forest clearance.
The Global Forest Watch indicates that in 2010, Bangladesh had more than 2 million hectares of natural forest, accounting for 16 percent of the total land area, which has been decreasing annually. Just in 2023 alone, the forest area decreased by about 17,806 hectares. However, there is no proper and up-to-date statistics on the deforestation ratio but this is happening in Bangladesh.
Over 2.57 lakh acres of
land of the forest department
is under illegal occupation
Forests are going to face serious consequences in the future if ‘effective steps’ are not taken to check their denudation and ensure proper use of their land and resources. The government must take necessary steps to stop tree felling and deforestation and bring culprits to book immediately. It will also have to develop the country’s forest resources, preserve forests, and increase trees. The government is committed to recovering all the 2.57 lakh acres of encroached land from the grabbers. A full-fledged list of the grabbers has been prepared according to a survey.
For carrying out further development activities, most of the development activities including the construction of roads, and installation of electricity distribution poles are being conducted using the protected forest land resulting in deforestation in this way.
The authorities concerned have to mention the nature of the land in their project profile when they [the authorities]will conduct the acquisition of the forest land. Earlier the parliamentary standing committee on the environment decided to make the list of 90,000 individuals and organisations public who have grabbed around 2.57 lakh acres of forestland across the country. The government must take necessary steps to stop deforestation and evict forest grabbers to protect the environment and save wild lives immediately.
Public representatives like lawmakers, upazila nirbahi officers, and deputy commissioners must come forward to protect the forest lands, environment and biodiversity and protect it from adverse effects of climate change alongside forest department.
The authorities will also have to take necessary steps to stop the cutting of hills, cutting down trees for the protection of environment.
To achieve Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, Bangladesh will have to show 16 percent forest coverage. There is no alternative to oust the grabbers and illegal occupants from the country’s forest land at any cost.
Legal actions must also be taken against both the forest grabbers and the people, who assisted in grabbing forest land. We hope the government will be successful in ousting the grabbers from Lawachara and restoring other forests with the cooperation of all concerned.
