Forest conservation, resource exploitation mutually exclusive

It will be impossible to save forests from destruction as long as they are regarded as resources waiting to be exploited, speakers told a roundtable yesterday.

Conservation of forests and generating revenue from them cannot happen at the same time, they observed.

Stating that the country's forests are rapidly disappearing, they demanded political parties' commitment to save forests.

The roundtable on forest management was organised by Prothom Alo with support of the Forest Department and GIZ at the daily's office in the capital.

"Destruction of forests continues unabated because the culprits are never awarded the maximum punishment," said Ishtiaq Uddin Ahmad, country representative for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

People destroying natural resources are often harboured by influential quarters, he said.

He observed that depletion of forests had become so widespread that it was almost impossible for the Forest Department to save them alone.

"Administration, law enforcers, policymakers, politicians and local government representatives should work together for conservation," he added.

Chief Conservator of Forests Yunus Ali said leasing out forests, rivers, and wetlands only encouraged land grabbers.

"Moreover, the process creates a conflict of interest among government agencies."

Managing Director of Palli Sanchay Bank Mihir Kanti Majumder said, "Nothing is more suicidal than leasing out forests and rivers."

Stating that public resources get destroyed when leased out, he urged the government to enact a law to conserve natural resources.

President of Forum of Environmental Journalists of Bangladesh (FEJB) Kamrul Islam Chowdhury said, "Forests should be seen as an agent of long-term sustainable development, not as a revenue-generating machine."

Prothom Alo Associate Editor Anisul Hoque urged the authorities to include the importance of conservation in school textbooks.

The discussion was moderated by Abdul Quayum, another associate editor of Prothom Alo.