Protecting wildlife in village forests of

Bangladesh
Rafiqul Alam Khan

Not long ago, people living in rural areas, probably had shared their place with a host of
native plants and animals. A typical rural Bengali household was placed in the midst of
plenty of natural bushlands known as Village Forest. In this way, people had a natural
harmony with nature while accommodating native wildlife needs.
As population density increased rapidly in this tiny deltaic plain, people felt the need to build
new residence by taking actions such as cutting down trees, changing land use patterns,
and modifying hydrological systems on a massive scale. Such activities replaced rural
wildlifes habitat with that of human settlements. Consequently, we now see a very little
amount of village forest left throughout the country. Fast shrinking of such forests are
resulting in the extinction of local trees, shrubs, herbs and medicinal plants as well as
wildlife and birds from rural areas.
Md. Madedi Hasan, a wildlife biologist and a faculty of Zoology Department of Jagannath
University said in an interview that village forests are the key elements of preserving wildlife
and biodiversity in the historic Bengal region. Village forests provide safe heaven to native
wildlife that include Magpie, Black Bulbul, Myna, Sparrow, Grey Wolf, Fox, Frog, Snake,
Turtle, Cougar, Tailor bird, Heron, Baya Weaver, Mongoose, Civet cat, Squirrel etc, he
added.
These species play a very crucial role in the environmental ecosystem. For instance, paddy
fields oftentimes invaded by insects such as grasshoppers, cicadas, termites, wasps, bees,
moths, beetles and dragonflies. Black Drongos, a familiar bird found in rural areas, feed
mainly on these insects and are instrumental in surviving the traditional natural pest control
process. The existence of such birds only depends on rural forests. Today, their numbers
are dwindling due to the destruction of such natural forests. According to IUCN Red List of
Bangladesh 2015, 31 species that include 11 animals, 19 birds and one reptile, have
disappeared from the country since the list was first published in 2000. Of 1619 species in
the list, there are 390 threatened species: 56 are critically endangered, 181 are
endangered, and 153 are vulnerable. If this continues, the consequences will be
devastating and will lead us to ecological vacuum-a situation where it will be very difficult for
native flora and fauna to survive due to low diversity. It is to be noted that rural wildlife is
threatened not only due to the destruction of village forests but also excessive use of
pesticides and hunting those animals.
Most of the remote rural communities, makeshift dwellers and forest residents are directly
dependent on forest resources for their livelihood. Like other natural resources, village
forests are playing a crucial role in any countrys economic empowerment and
advancement in human development index. Besides refining the air, forests serve human
with food, water supply, medicines, clothes, shelters and other valuable resources that are
necessary for survival. So, special steps should be taken to preserve and protect the
integrity of village forests.
Bangladesh government has taken many initiatives to conserve forests by declaring many
biodiversity-rich areas as National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Ecologically Critically Areas,
Eco-Parks, Safari Parks and Botanical Gardens. A total of 51 such sites are protected by
laws. According to Bangladesh Forest Department, the approximate size of village forest
now constitute 0.27 million hectors which covers 1.88% of countrys total area.
But, the government needs to announce more biodiversity significant rural areas as
protected areas in order to maintain the current status of village forests. For providing safety
and conservation of forest, wildlife and biodiversity the government has enacted Wildlife
(Conservation and Security) Act in 2012. But lack of implementation of those laws puts a
massive challenge of preserving rural wildlife and village forests.
National parks and protected areas alone will never be able to protect the incredible variety
of plant and wildlife found in the forests. People from all walks of life need to change their
thinking process. Conservation should be seen as an important factor linked with daily
needs, economic development, culture and morality. Conservation should not be a sole
responsibility of the government, but it should be a responsibility of every citizen of this
nation.