The wanton destruction of forest resources

Abdul Mannan The official figure of lands under forest in Bangladesh is about 8.0 per cent, though unofficially even the same is doubted. This is a very poor figure considering the needs of environmental safety. Environmentalists may come up with all kinds of explanation for the worsening of conditions in this sphere such as the burgeoning population of the country creating pressures on limited trees and vegetation. But the fact is that reckless deforestation has a lot to do also with law enforcement. The lack of this enforcement now allows the cutting down of trees from even the reserved forest areas in the most carefree manner. Media reports from time to time show how rows and rows of trees in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the Sunderbans and Cox's Bazar areas are cut down by gangs. At a number of places in such areas, the trees were planted by governmental authorities and meant to be preserved. But is there anyone to be held accountable for their present cut-down existence? It seems not. Reckless cutting down of trees which are considered as public resources are reported frequently in the media from other different parts of the country. But nobody has so far been heard to be put behind the bar for such unlawful activities. Nor has been taken any punitive action of consequence against those responsible for this. Thus, one such act of robbing trees is encouraging another. If government really means business, then it must stop such wanton cutting down of trees. The cutting down of privately owned trees can be responded by nothing more than publicities and moral persuasion. But it is duly expected from the government to protect absolutely the trees or forest resources directly under its control. There cannot be absolutely no scope for admitting any kind of slack in this vital area of concern for the country's environment. Successive governments have been encouraging and materially promoting tree plantation. But there is much worry about the ultimate gains to accrue from afforestation measures in the absence of hard policies to put a hard brake on deforestation activities as well; the rate of deforestation is significantly higher than the rate of afforestation. The factors which are contributing the most to such deforestation will have to be addressed by various policy measures and their strict enforcement by the government. The same may include policies to encourage wood substitutes, stopping the burning of wood in brick kilns, etc. But, the hardest of law enforcement activities are most needed at this stage against those who cutting down of publicly owned trees at random.