The eco-system of Lawachhara National Park in Moulvibazar is at risk because of indiscriminate destruction of forest resources, a heavy rush of visitors even into the deep forest and lack of proper maintenance and scarcity of wild animals.
The district administration has already expressed concern about the worrying state of the environment protection system in the park.
In a letter to the forest and environment ministry, the district administration made a number of recommendations to protecting the park from being destroyed.
The letter said that the felling and smuggling of fruit-bearing trees from the park had increased in recent years. People are cutting fruit-bearing trees
The unabated movement of visitors in the deep forest is also endangering the environment for the wildlife.
The hilly canals flowing through the forest have either silted up in places or dried up, forcing wild animals to come out of the deep forest looking for food into the human settlements.
‘Almost every day wild animals are killed by vehicles running on the road,’ the letter said.
The letter has also recommended some measures to protect the wild life and the biodiversity of the park and to stop the smuggling of trees.
The recommendations include restrictions on visitors in the deep forest, planting of fruit-bearing trees to ensure food for wild animals and the digging of canals to ensure water for them, closing all roads but the main entrance, planting of canes in some areas around the park to set up a natural fence, building a bypass outside the forest and fencing off the forest with barbed wire.
The recommendations also include recruitment in all vacant positions, including those of forest guards, an increase in the number of tourism policemen, establishment of barracks for them and formation of a monitoring committee with district level-officers for park management.
On Monday (July 02) Talking to New Age,
The deputy commissioner, Md Mustafizur Rahman, on July 2 told New Age, ‘People have for long been demanding protection of the park’s biodiversity and wild life. We have sent the letter with the recommendations to the forest secretary.’
Md Mahbubur Rahman, divisional forest officer (wildlife) in Moulvibazar, said that the smuggling of trees took place rarely in recent times.
‘If the movement of vehicles on roads through the forest can be stopped, wild animals would feel safe,’ he added.
Courtesy of New Age
