Abdul Awal Mintoo, minister for environment, forest and climate change, has said a collective effort is needed to secure a safe future for elephants. Government action alone is not enough, and people at every level of society must be involved, he said. Protecting elephant habitat does not only protect elephants: it also protects forests, biodiversity, the environment and ultimately people's future.

The minister was speaking as chief guest at a discussion marking World Elephant Day 2026 in the conference room of the Forest Department at Agargaon in the capital on Wednesday, 12 August.

This year's international theme for World Elephant Day is "Unite the world, save elephants' lives". The day aims to raise public awareness of the conservation of elephants and their habitat and to secure a safe future for them.

The minister said the country once had many elephants but their numbers are steadily falling. Habitat occupation and destruction, deforestation, illegal hunting and wildlife crime have become major threats to their survival. According to a 2015 survey, the country had 268 resident wild elephants, 93 migratory wild elephants and 96 captive elephants. A new elephant survey is planned by 2027.

The government is compensating people affected by human-elephant conflict, he said. Under the Compensation Rules for Loss of Life and Property Caused by Wildlife, 2021, the family of a person killed receives Tk 3 lakh, an injured person up to Tk 1 lakh, and up to Tk 50,000 is paid for damage to property. From 2012 to June 2026, about Tk 13.77 crore was paid to the families of 322 people killed, to 169 injured people and to 3,215 families whose homes or crops were damaged. The minister told the Forest Department to pay compensation to people affected by elephants as quickly as possible.

Local people have been involved in tackling the conflict, Mintoo said. So far 159 Elephant Response Teams (ERT) have been formed in elephant areas. They give quick warnings when elephants approach, monitor their movements and play an important role in reducing conflict safely. "Local people's participation is our greatest strength in elephant conservation. Conservation will never be sustainable without them," he said.

Special guest Mahmudul Haque Rubel, member of parliament for Sherpur-3, presented information on elephant attacks and compensation in his constituency.

Another special guest, Dr Md Saimum Parvez, the prime minister's special assistant on environment, forest and climate change, said elephants play an important role in protecting life and nature, and called on everyone to come forward to protect them. To ensure human survival, biodiversity must be protected, he said.

Dr Fahmida Khanam, acting secretary of the ministry, said elephants are endangered not only in Bangladesh but around the world, and that the benefits of protecting them are not easy to grasp. She called on local and foreign organisations to work with the government alongside public funding.

The event was chaired by chief conservator of forests Md Amir Hossain Chowdhury. Dr Md Abdul Motaleb, acting executive director of Arannayk Foundation, presented data on elephants.

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