Bangladesh's biodiversity is in deep crisis. From city to village, forest to river, the marks of destruction are clear in every environment. Infrastructure built in the name of development, unplanned agriculture, industrialisation and urbanisation are eroding biodiversity day by day. On 22 May, World Biodiversity Day, Pavel Partha, director of the Bangladesh Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge (BARCIK) and a researcher on life and nature, spoke about the state of the country's biodiversity. He was interviewed by Jago News staff reporter Raihan Ahmed.

"To begin with, the state of biodiversity is not good. In Bangladesh no species, from bees to elephants, has a secure life. Their food sources are not assured, and their ranges have not been secured.

"Only one animal is surveyed each year. A tiger census tells you only about tigers; it is not done for all animals. The natural zones of biodiversity are also at risk now, as are natural forests, wetlands, canals, beels, haors, baors and islands. Across towns and cities, biodiversity faces many crises."

"Urban biodiversity is even more at risk. Mongooses, monkeys, frogs, bulbuls, mynas and parakeets that survived in Dhaka even ten years ago are now rare. There are no bats, no butterflies, no bees. Dhaka's wetlands are being filled in day by day, 25 canals have vanished, the rivers are toxic and aquatic life is under great threat. Plants are disappearing as parks are destroyed and trees felled. In short, every form of biodiversity, starting with animals, is at special risk."

"There are many. Notably, there is no coordination among the departments and offices responsible under state law for protecting biodiversity. It is not just the environment ministry's job. For example, when the industries ministry approves unplanned garment factories, their waste harms the area's biodiversity.

"Local government, water resources, roads and agriculture are equally responsible. Excessive and unplanned pesticides and poisons in farming threaten bees, butterflies, frogs and snails. Because of these pesticides, many native fish species are also heading towards extinction.

"Another cause is that the state does not value all biodiversity equally. It values the tiger as it does not value the monitor lizard. The more projects it runs on elephants, the fewer there are to protect the rani fish. Biodiversity is about the whole food chain: without small fish, big fish cannot survive. So every life in nature must be valued equally.

"There are problems in our laws too. Big development violates the law of the constitution. Noise, air and light pollution regularly harm biodiversity. International wildlife trafficking is another cause of decline."

"Because of climate change there is severe salinity in the south, severe drought in the Barind region, flash floods from the hills in the haor region and sudden floods, all harming life. Every plant pollinates at its own temperature, so heatwaves, cold waves, lightning and hailstorms all harm living things and pollination fails. Excessive disasters, floods, cyclones, and air and noise pollution also damage biodiversity, causing food and oxygen shortages.

"But climate change is not harming biodiversity alone. Our environmental crisis, chemical pollution and development are all making climate change worse."

"The biggest and the smallest animals in Bangladesh are most at risk. Elephants are highly at risk because we have kept none of their habitat safe. Elephants live mostly in the Mymensingh and Chattogram divisions. People and the state have taken over their ranges. Villages, development, large structures and plantations are appearing beside the hills. Elephants have no natural food, so they raid settlements, causing conflict in which people die and elephants die too. Elephants must be given back their ancient ranges.

"The Irrawaddy dolphin and sea and hill turtles are almost extinct. Otters (ut biral), wild goats, grave-digger animals, pangolins and tokay geckos are almost extinct. Among insects and small creatures, wild bees, spiders and green frogs are almost gone. Among fish, the rani, meni, nanid and mahashol are heading for extinction. Among plants, parul, tamal and champa flowers can hardly be found. Wild date, water lily, wild thorny rose, thorny wild fruits, luklukli, dewa and kuch are disappearing. Many more plant species are features of our forests and suited to the environment."

"If a forest lacks plant diversity, its insects, reptiles, amphibians and birds will go hungry. It is a cycle. Birds and insects nest in different trees, and snakes live on birds and insects. The hornbill, for example, will not nest without a timber tree, and the kite nests in very tall trees. So a forest needs all its trees, plants, insects and every kind of life. These forests and orchards are also a livelihood for many, as in the Sundarbans, the hill areas and Sylhet's haors."

"Highly harmful chemicals are used in Bangladesh's tea gardens, especially in Sylhet, Habiganj and Moulvibazar, which are also biodiversity hotspots. The poisons used there all end up in Sylhet's haors. The government is negligent, and there is no inter-ministerial coordination, which is a big problem. When a wild animal strays into a settlement, it is not rescued properly. Rescue centres are not the same for all animals, and not every animal can be released in every forest. The invasive eucalyptus and akashmoni trees that have now been banned are harmful to our environment.

"There are gaps in our policies and laws. The Wildlife Conservation Act says natural forest or anything natural must be protected, but the acquisition law says the government can acquire anything it wants. The two contradict each other. In Gazipur, a natural forest was turned into something like a zoo and many wild animals were killed."

"The government makes an annual action plan on biodiversity, but it is not implemented. No specific biodiversity budget has yet been finalised in the national budget. Allocations go to ministries, and biodiversity initiatives fall to the bottom and get no attention. Local forest offices do not know all the laws; I say this with responsibility. Wild animals are attacked and killed in various areas, and because they do not know the law, the Forest Department itself does not know what punishment to give.

"Another point is that our development is ethnocentric, meaning human-centred. Development is planned with people in mind, not biodiversity. Growing rice, everything is killed with poison; putting up buildings, trees are cut down. The state must move away from its human-centred development philosophy and adopt an ecology-centred one."

"Local people play the biggest role in protecting biodiversity. Historically they have conserved it through folk knowledge. Local honey collectors know when and how to cut a comb while leaving the bees' brood, and how to cut golpata. They know which fish must not be caught. If the government values local people and their views in protecting biodiversity, it will work. Biodiversity cannot be protected with guns or bravado; it needs this subject knowledge."

"Balance is most urgent in cities. We need urban forests and plenty of green space. The gardens and parks that survive in Dhaka must be protected, by law if necessary. What is left must be saved. We must protect the Halda, because there is no second Halda. We need Hakaluki, because it too is a hotspot. Tanguar Haor is unique in the country. There is only one Sundarbans, so Rampal cannot be justified there. None of these can be replaced."

"Every animal needs research and data. Civil society, political organisations, local environmental groups, the media and academia must all act to build awareness, and committees should be formed in every upazila. Young people are now rescuing many wild animals across the country, travelling long distances and working on their own out of compassion.

"Young people are opening Facebook communities to learn about and keep track of animals. So the government should involve youth and environmental organisations in protecting biodiversity. Above all, our textbooks must include how people can help protect biodiversity."

"I think every part of the country matters for biodiversity; that is my ecological philosophy. From haors, baors and beels to towns, hills and plains, every plant and animal everywhere is important to conserve. Still, in our context the haor and wetland areas and the Sundarbans most need conservation. The Chattogram Hill Tracts must also be given importance, as must the Sylhet border areas of Lawachara, Satchari, Rema-Kalenga and Madhabkunda."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.