Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin has said that dolphins keep aquatic ecosystems healthy and increase fish breeding, so the government is working tirelessly and sincerely to conserve them. The government has prepared a Dolphin Action Plan and declared nine dolphin sanctuaries, and seven dolphin conservation teams have been formed in the Sundarbans area.

He said forest staff have been properly trained, and a dolphin conservation programme is being implemented under the SUFAL project. Everyone must unite to protect dolphins in order to keep the country's rivers and aquatic ecosystems healthy.

He was speaking as chief guest on Monday, 24 October, at a discussion held at the Forest Department to mark International Freshwater Dolphin Day 2022, under the theme "Protect the Shushuk dolphin, keep aquatic ecosystems healthy".

Chief Conservator of Forests Md Amir Hosain Chowdhury presided. Special guests who spoke included Deputy Minister Habibun Nahar, Secretary Dr Farhina Ahmed, Additional Secretary Iqbal Abdullah Harun, Prokriti O Jibon Foundation chairman Mukit Majumder Babu and IUCN Bangladesh country representative Rakibul Amin.

Presentations were given by Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, divisional forest officer of the Wildlife and Nature Conservation Division, Sylhet, and Prof Dr Mohammad Mostafa Feroz of the Department of Zoology at Jahangirnagar University. Imran Ahmed, conservator of forests of the Wildlife and Nature Conservation Circle, gave the welcome address.

The environment minister said that under the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act 2012, killing a whale or dolphin carries a maximum of three years in prison, a fine of up to Tk 3 lakh, or both, and the law is being enforced. A 1,738 sq km area of the Swatch of No Ground in the Bay of Bengal has been declared a marine protected area for dolphin conservation. To involve the public, dolphin fairs and awareness activities in schools, colleges and communities are being organised.

He said government action had significantly increased the number of dolphins in the Sundarbans. In three sanctuaries there, Dhangmari, Dudhmukhi and Chandpai, the increase is 55 percent, which he called a milestone for dolphin conservation in the country.

He said conserving freshwater dolphins is not possible for the government, the Forest Department or any single organisation alone, and called on everyone to commit to protecting the country's dolphins and to work together.

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