Two ordinances get nod to protect forest, biodiversity, wildlife

The interim government has passed two ordinances relating to the country's forest, biodiversity, and wildlife protection. These are "Forest and Tree Conservation Ordinance 2025" and "Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Ordinance 2025".
The approval was given at a meeting of the Council of Advisers, held at the Chief Adviser's Office in the capital, according to the environment ministry on Thursday.
Environment and Forest Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan stated that the passage of these two ordinances marks a transformative step in protecting Bangladesh's forest resources, biodiversity, and wildlife.
She expressed hope that these legal reforms would strengthen ecological safeguards and contribute to ensuring a healthier natural environment for future generations.
The Forest Act of 1927, which has guided forest management for nearly a century, is no longer adequate considering the current environmental challenges, climate change impacts, population growth, urban expansion, illegal encroachment, and forest degradation. To address these issues, the new Forest and Tree Conservation Ordinance 2025 has been formulated, said the ministry.
The ordinance incorporates provisions for natural forest protection, securing forest boundaries and records, safeguarding traditional rights of ethnic minority communities, preventing illegal encroachment through advanced monitoring systems, restoring degraded forests, controlling invasive species, and updating lists of protected and permissible tree species.
The Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Ordinance 2025 has been introduced due to some implementation-related challenges of the Wildlife Act 2012 and evolving international obligations.
The new ordinance strictly prohibits and penalises wildlife poaching, killing, trafficking, and commercial use. It ensures protection of wildlife habitats, provides special safeguards for endangered species, and outlines measures for wildlife rescue, treatment, rehabilitation, scientific research, training, awareness building, and promoting humane coexistence between human beings and wildlife.
It also proposes the establishment of a Wildlife Trust Fund to support these initiatives. In addition, the ordinance encourages participation of experts, local communities, academic institutions, and volunteer organisations, it added.

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