Our shrinking forests

The news of Bangladesh being among the countries in Asia with least forest is unsettling. According to data released by the Asian Development Bank, the country has only 11.2 percent of its land mass under forest, a whopping 13.8 percent short of the desired forest cover. That this has happened in spite of a string of afforestation drives is disappointing. However, there is no denying that the destruction of our forests, the lung of the nation, has been going on for a rather long time, and that too with a certain degree of impunity. Plunderers, at times colleagued with unscrupulous forest officials, brazenly carry out their criminal activities untouched by the proverbial long arm of the law.   

To make it more grievous, housing and industrialisation, the twin by-product of a growing population demand more land, which, in the absence of any proper planning, is eating away our dwindling forests. We wonder if adequate plantation has at all been carried out to make up for the lost trees. The negative effects of these self-sabotaging actions are manifested in the form of the heating of the climate, not to mention the desertification of certain areas that will cause catastrophic effects on habitation and cultivation in the long run.         

It is indeed worth mentioning that a 25 percent of forest cover is not only an ecological necessity, it also provides us with income generating activities that contribute to the growth of the national economy as a whole. We urge the government to vigorously launch afforestation drives and raise awareness campaigns so as to save us from a catastrophe that is lurking at the bend. Plundering of the forests must be dealt with a strong hand. Communities who live on the fringes of the forests can also play a pivotal role in this regard.