On paper, Lawachara National Park in Kamalganj upazila of Moulvibazar covers 1,250 hectares. But the Forest Department itself does not know how much forest land is actually under its control. With no measurement for a long time, people have grabbed land around the forest however they could, expanding tea gardens and building lemon and pineapple orchards, cottages, houses and other structures.

A reliable source confirmed that through occupation the park has gradually shrunk to about half its size. According to the source, despite many attempts, it was not possible to demarcate the boundary or evict the occupiers, because almost all of them were connected with Awami League politics.

Though late, recovery of occupied Lawachara land has begun. On 15 September, about five acres held by Sabari Tea Plantation, a tea garden owned by former agriculture minister Abdus Shahid, were recovered. Most recently, in an operation from morning to evening on 3 November, the Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Division recovered about four acres of forest land held by Badrul Alam Jener, former general secretary of the Awami League in No. 5 Kamalganj union and former member of the park's co-management committee. Fruit trees suitable as food for wildlife have been planted on the recovered land.

A man named Shah Alam, a resident of No. 4 Sindurkhan union in Sreemangal upazila, grows lemons on the four acres recovered by the Forest Department.

Shah Alam told Jago News that he had leased the land from Badrul Alam Jener for five years and was growing lemons there. He paid Tk 1.2 lakh in advance for two years, and the rest was to be paid gradually.

Lawachara, rich in biodiversity and part of the West Bhanugach reserved forest, was declared a national park in 1996. Known at home and abroad as a "rain forest", it is famous for the endangered hoolock gibbon, and it also holds various rare animals. Even before it was declared a national park, some nearby residents had begun occupying it, adding forest land to their own to build houses and extend lemon and pineapple gardens.

The spree of occupation began mainly in 2009. Md Abdus Shahid, the recently former agriculture minister and former MP for Moulvibazar-4 (Sreemangal-Kamalganj), was named chief whip of parliament in 2009 after winning the 2008 general election. At that time he bought some land cheaply beside the park's student dormitory and set up a tea garden called Sabari Tea Plantation. Allegations arose then that, abusing his power, Abdus Shahid had added a large part of the park to the small plot he bought and joined it to Sabari Tea Plantation. Since then the Forest Department has repeatedly tried to measure the forest land but has been unable to do so, and influential people began plundering the Lawachara forest.

Md Shahidul Islam, range officer of the Wildlife and Nature Conservation Division, said it was hard to estimate exactly how much land is still held by influential people. On the orders of higher authorities, work is under way to identify those occupying the park's land. Lawachara will be demarcated as quickly as possible, and the true picture will be known once that is done, he said.

Jamil Mohammad Khan, assistant conservator of forests (ACF) of the Wildlife and Nature Conservation Division, said: "In an operation from morning to evening on 3 November we recovered about four acres of forest land. But we found no one there during the recovery, and no one has come to claim ownership of the land."

Sylhet divisional forest officer Dr Jahangir Alam said seedlings of trees suitable for wildlife have been planted on the recovered forest land.

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