Everyone needs to be aware, responsible for protecting wildlife: Stakeholders

Everyone, including the government, must be aware of and responsible for protecting wildlife, said stakeholders and experts on the environment and forests, on Thursday.

"We have to be aware ourselves as well as the people of the country. Only if there is a forest can there be wildlife, and vice-versa. The more people around us are aware, the more wildlife can be conserved," said Mukit Majumder Babu, chairman of Nature and Life Foundation.

He was speaking at a discussion organised by the Forest Department on the occasion of World Wildlife Day 2022. This year's theme is "Recovering key species for ecosystem restoration".

Environment, Forests, and Climate Change Minister, Md Shahab Uddin, said the government is doing its best to protect wildlife. To this end, it has declared 51 areas protected for the conservation and development of wildlife habitats.

The government has introduced the "Bangabandhu Award for Wildlife Conservation" to promote wildlife conservation work. The Information (Provider) Rewards for Wildlife Crime Disclosure Rules, 2020, has been formulated and the Wildlife Crime Control Unit is working to control crime and preventing wildlife trafficking, he added.

Saber Hossain Chowdhury, head of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change said, "If there were no wildlife, we would not exist. When we talk about biodiversity, let's talk about all kinds of biodiversity conservation."

Md Mostafa Kamal, secretary to the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, said protecting wildlife is also a part of protecting freedom.

"We have told farmers that if elephants come and destroy their paddy fields, we will pay more in compensation than the damages," he added.

Rakibul Amin, country representative of IUCN Bangladesh, said, "Everywhere we speak about nature-friendly development. Now the private sector needs to unite to protect the environment."

Chief Conservator of Forests, Md Amir Hossain Chowdhury, said it will not be possible to ensure wildlife conservation until conservation work reaches the general public.

"We demanded that the dolphin be declared a national aquatic animal. Now, in the last few years, dolphins have increased by 55% in the Sundarbans," he added.