The government is working towards a permanent solution to the conflict between people and elephants, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has said. "We have to be patient for this," she said.

She was speaking as chief guest at a meeting and cheque distribution for people affected by human-elephant conflict at Madhutila Eco Park in Sherpur on Monday (26 May).

The adviser said people are taking over elephant habitat, which is reducing the elephants' food. Instead of planting eucalyptus and other foreign trees, native species suited to elephants must be planted, she said.

"The lives of elephants matter, and so do human lives. The forest has to be brought back. The government is not the people's adversary but their helper. If natural forests are destroyed, we will not be safe either. Natural trees must be planted instead of commercial ones," Syeda Rizwana Hasan said.

She also directed the district administration and the Forest Department to draw up a coordinated action plan to resolve human-elephant conflict.

The event was presided over by Md Amir Hossain Chowdhury, Chief Conservator of Forests at the Forest Department, and the keynote discussant was internationally known wildlife expert Professor Dr Mohammad Ali Reza Khan. Sherpur Deputy Commissioner Tarafdar Mahmudur Rahman, Central Forest Circle conservator A S M Zahir Uddin Akon, Wildlife and Nature Conservation Circle conservator Md Sanaullah Patwary, BGB commander Lt Col Tanvir Hossain Majumder and Elephant Response Team (ERT) members Imtiaz Ali and Mohammad Hasmat Ali were present.

The adviser handed a total of Tk 6 lakh to two families of people killed by elephants and Tk 3 lakh 27 thousand to 15 families as compensation for damaged crops and houses. Binoculars, torches, hand microphones, whistles and other equipment were also distributed among members of the Elephant Response Team.

Earlier, the adviser visited the Dawdhara Garo Hills tourism centre in Nalitabari upazila of Sherpur and a 2017-18 plantation project of the Madhutila range.

Since 2014, Tk 91 lakh has been paid to the families of 45 people killed in human-elephant conflict, Tk 10 lakh 41 thousand to 34 injured people and Tk 1 crore 68 lakh 84 thousand to 906 people for damage to crops and houses. In total, Tk 2 crore 70 lakh 25 thousand has been paid to 985 affected people.

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