Why unabated deforestation?

A section of the Sundarbans: Let¿s preserve our forests.

What is a forest? A forest has been defined "as an ecosystem or assemblage of ecosystems dominated by trees and other woody vegetation. The living parts of a forest include trees, shrubs, vines, grasses and other herbaceous (non-woody) plants, mosses, algae, fungi, insects, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and microorganisms living on the plants and animals and in the soil. These interact with one another and with the non-living part of the environment -- including the soil, water, and minerals, to make up what we know as a forest." So, trees planted by the people in their homesteads do not strictly come under the aforesaid definition of forest.

Controversies exist regarding forest coverage in the country. In Bangladesh, though forest land is 18-19 percent of the total land area, 10-12 percent is declared as forest and tree cover is only 5-7percent according to a present estimate. Other estimate says that the total natural forest cover is 769000 ha which is 5.9 percent of total land area and the area of plantations is 335000 ha which is 2. 5 percent of the total land area (FAO, 1993).

Bangladesh State of Environment Report of June- 2001 says: "Bangladesh has a classified natural forest area of about 10 percent of the total land area, but only 6-8 percent of this has good canopy cover, which is far below the desired level. About 50 percent of the destruction of forests has taken place during the last 20 years, affecting topsoil and causing land erosion."

In his article "Environment: Hope for the best" printed in some English language dailies of Dhaka on June 5, Jafar Ahmed Chowdhury, Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests wrote: " While in 1970 forests accounted for 30 per cent of total land in Bangladesh, it came down to 9.2 per cent in 1990……… Recent survey suggests that the forest area under tree coverage has increased to about 14 per cent while it was 9.2 per cent in 1990." He has attributed this success primarily to the comprehensive programmes under social forestry and mangrove coastal afforestation. If we take this figure to be true, still we have to go a long way to reach the forest area of 1970.

In Bangladesh, annual rate of deforestation has been estimated at more than 3. 5 per cent (Bangladesh Forestry Master Plan, 1993). Experts, researchers, academics and others have attributed the deforestation, particularly in three main classes of the country's natural forests namely, hill forests, the sal forests and the Sundarbans mangrove forests, primarily to the following factors:

? Conversion of forest lands into agricultural land to meet food requirement of the growing population.

? Conversion of forest lands into shrimp farming.

? Use of forest lands for new settlements, construction of new roads, bridges, embankments etc and grazing by domestic animals.

? Illegal and / or deliberate wood cutting, felling and thinning.

? Indiscriminate use of chemical fertilisers and insecticides in crop lands and adoption of unplanned agricultural practices resulting in low productivity of forests.

? Uncontrolled diseases causing havoc mainly on the sundari trees in the Sundarbans.

? Unregulated testing and exploration activities by the International Oil Companies in the Sundarbans.

? Low flows in the distributaries of the Ganges due to water withdrawal at Farakka barrage in India during lean season, which cause serious problems for the regeneration and growth of different forest species.

? Jhum cultivation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in the absence of alternative livelihoods to Jhumias.

? Natural disasters that destroy forests.

? Improper implementation of policies, plans and programmes so far recommended / approved for conservation, promotion and development of forests.

The present rate of deforestation is seriously affecting the country's economy and ecology in the following ways:

-- Due to uncontrolled logging in the CHT, jhum cultivation, construction of roads and other physical infrastructure, land slides and soil erosion have significantly increased in the region.

-- Soil degradation in the plain lands due to the nutrient deficiency is common. Previous natural nutrient cycling from the forest to the plain arable lands has been destroyed by clearing the forest and afterwards using huge overdose of chemical fertilisers and uncontrolled use of the hazardous toxic pesticides.

-- The conversion of some lands of the Sundarbans for agricultural use, construction of houses for human habitation coupled with unabated poaching, hunting, illegal felling of trees by the unscrupulous traders and dacoits in connivance with the corrupt forest officials, insufficient conservation effort have already threatened the forest's bio-diversity. Some ecological changes like salinity, outbreak of diseases like "top dying" of the sundari trees pose a serious threat to rich bio-diversity of the Sundarbans.

-- The desired level of forests for a country is 25 percent of its total land area. The existence of forest area much below the desired level has influenced the climatic behaviour of the country. Experts are of opinion that the abnormal variation in diurnal temperature and seasonal weather than the past records indicate to be alarming. The devastation after the cyclones and storms in exposed areas to the Bay near the coastal lines is now more severe than the past. The situation is becoming worse as time passes.

In order to combat deforestation, Agenda 21, a principal outcome of the UN Conference on Environment and Development (commonly known as Earth Summit) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June 1992, has listed a number of activities for a member state, which, inter alia, include: (a) ensuring the sustainable management of all forest ecosystems and woodlands; (b) carrying out community forestry, social forestry and agroforestry taking into account the role of forests as national carbon reservoirs and sinks; (c) developing industrial and non-industrial planted forests in order to support and promote national ecologically sound afforestation and restoration/ regeneration programmes in suitable sites; (d) developing / strengthening a national and / or master plan for planted forests as a priority; (e) increasing the protection of forests from pollutants, fire, pests and diseases and other man-made interferences; (f) stimulating development of urban forestry for the greening of urban, peri-urban and rural human settlements; (g) launching or improving opportunities for participation of all people in the formulation, development and implementation of forest-related programmes; and (h) limiting and aiming at halting destructive shifting cultivation by addressing the underlying social and ecological causes.

As a member state of the UN, Bangladesh is under obligation to undertake activities suggested in Agenda 21 not only for combating deforestation, but also for the conservation, promotion and development of forests. And all these need strong commitment of the government. Motivation, awareness creation among the general public, updating and enforcement of laws, employing trained, honest and efficient manpower equipped with forestry knowledge are equally important in this regard.

M. Abdul Latif Mondal is a former Secretary to the Government.