Nation bleeding its forests dry

Bangladesh has earned notoriety in the last decades for the systematic and often irreversible decimation of its wildlife. As a result of mindless killing, habitat loss, and slack enforcement of laws relating to wildlife conservation, dozens of animal species have already been lost and many more have been driven to the brink of extinction. The consequences are no longer abstract; they are happening before our eyes. The recent incident involving a tiger caught in a snare in the Sundarbans has once again exposed the fragility of Bangladesh's mechanism for protecting the country's wildlife.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), about 31 animal species have become extinct in Bangladesh during the last century. These include ecologically important animals like the rhinoceros, hyena, Nilgai, Banteng, wild water buffalo, Indian peafowl, pink-headed duck, sloth bear, Bengal florican, Indian woulf, and white-winged duck. Hundreds of other species are now listed under critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable, or threatened categories. This is not only a result of natural evolution or climate change; it is also an effect of human activity.

The tiger, caught in a trap in the Sundarbans, is rescued from death due to the timely intervention of the media and the Forest Department. But most animals are not as fortunate as that tiger. According to media reports, another tiger died in a similar trap just months earlier. Each such death is not merely a loss of an animal, but a threat to the ecosystem.

The Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest mangrove forest in the world, is the last habitat of the Royal Bengal tiger. However, it is gradually becoming a killing ground, infested with traps designed primarily for deer. A Bangla daily recently reported that in just the past eight months, thousands of trap wires and thousands of trap components have been confiscated by the authorities of the forest. The scale suggests a massive hunting that is not just occasional or unintentional.

Snare traps are even more inhumane and indiscriminate. These consist of steel wires or nylon ropes, which encircle either the body or neck of the animal, causing agonising death. Although meant to hunt deer, these snares have no way to differentiate between prey and predator. Tigers, wild boars, monkeys, birds, and even other insects have become snare victims. The animals, in fact, die of starvation, or infection, or hemorrhage in the depth of the forest.

The reasons for such extensive poaching are incomprehensible. Hunting deer is a means of living for many poverty-affected people living around the Sundarbans. Venison sells at high prices in the illegal market whereas tiger body parts are smuggled to other countries and regions. But poverty cannot and should not be any excuse for the destruction that is being caused. Weak enforcement and ignorance of law play a role in the destruction of wildlife.

The implication of these continuous deaths is very striking. The truth is that wildlife is not a non-essential item but a key element of nature. The function of tigers as predators of other animals is crucial. They act as a control mechanism for other grazing animals. Birds and small animals also play a critical role as seed dispersers and as a mechanism to control pests. The extinction of these animals spells danger for nature.

There are also economic and social costs. The Sundarbans range provides a natural safeguard against cyclones and hurricanes. It protects the lives of some millions of people living in the coastal areas. The degradation of this biodiversity will impact positively on fishing, honey and ecotourism. The extinction of iconic species such as the tiger will also undermine Bangladesh's position globally and its mission for ecotourism.

In order to arrest the situation and reverse the deteriorating trend, something more than occasional raids and seizures is necessary. The law enforcement agencies need to be strengthened and equipped with better training, better equipment, and better networking. Stern actions need to follow swiftly against violators of wildlife laws to act as a deterrent. The population living around the forests needs to be treated as partners and stakeholders for protecting the forests. Public awareness is also very important. Conservation will not work if the public is not aware of the relevant laws.

Bangladesh is at a turning point in history so far as its wildlife protection is concerned. It can either continue to be a land of silent extinctions or decide to preserve what little is left. The future generations might inherit forests that are alive, or they might inherit merely memories of what once existed.

rahmansrdk@gmail.com