Editorial
Forest master plan
Treat this as cornerstone of national environment policy
WE applaud the government's plan to bring the country's forest coverage to 20 per cent in the next six years, up from the approximately 10-12 per cent that it is at present. The nation's dwindling forests are indispensable to the nation's long-term health and welfare, and even as population pressure, land erosion, industrialisation, and urbanisation make habitable land more and more scarce, we must not forget the importance of keeping large tracts of the nation's natural forested areas pristine and unspoiled.
Make no mistake about it: this is no simple thing. Land pressure in the country is so acute that land grabbers have no qualms about destroying or taking over forested areas, if they can get away with it. Thus it comes as no surprise that unlawful logging, clear-cutting, and grabbing of the nation's forest lands has been going on virtually unchecked for decades.
But if this is not stopped, indeed reversed, we face environmental catastrophe in the near future. It is estimated that a country requires a 25 per cent forest coverage for the general health and welfare of the population, and that anything less than that would lead to seriously negative environmental consequences.
It is notable that the government's plan stops short of this threshold level, and also that Bangladesh is a country has an abundance of natural foliage, and that therefore we should be able to maintain forest coverage even in excess of 25 per cent. So it is important that this initiative not end in six years and that it be part of an on-going exercise to clean the air, ensure pristine natural habitats, and ensure that Bangladesh remains scenic and liveable.
The government must keep behind this initiative. This means not just tree planting programmes, which we commend, but also strict compliance with the existing laws, and new regulations, if necessary, to ensure that existing forests are not encroached upon and cut down at the expense of the public good. The government must take severe punitive measures against the despoilers of the environment for profit if the initiative is to mean anything.
Saving our forests must be an integral part of the government's over-arching environmental policy to ensure that Bangladesh remains a beautiful, unpolluted, and healthy place for our children and grand-children.
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