The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

National Workshop on Biodiversity Conservation, jointly organised by the Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh and the Global Forest Coalition, was held at the Cosmos Centre here on Saturday.

The themes of the workshop were Conservation, Sustainable Use and Benefit Sharing, Protection, Restoration and Sustainable Use;

Institutional and Socio-economic Enabling Environment and Knowledge Assessments and Monitoring, according to a press release.

About 55 participants from various organisations like the UNDP, Forest Department, Arannyak Foundation, IUCN, PROSHIKA, NISHORGO SUPPORT PROJECT, SEHD, POROSH, RDC, CCEC, teachers and researchers from Dhaka and Jahangirnagar universities, IUB, NSU and different other universities, and many other NGOs participated in the workshop.

Representatives from different indigenous groups from Chitagong and the Chitagong Hill Tracts, and 'sal' forest area also participated.

Amanullah Khan, an adviser and patron of the Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh (WTB), who is also the chairman of UNB, spoke as the guest of honour.

Professor Harunur Rashid, vice chairman of the Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh (WTB), who is also the chairman of Bangla Academy, inaugurated the workshop, while WTB Chief Executive Professor Md. Anwarul Islam welcomed the delegates.

Farid Uddin Ahmed of Arannyak Foundation, Mr D Shahriar Kabir of Independent University Bangladesh and Mr Mamunul Haque Khan of the UNDP coordinated the workshop.

Amanullah Khan urged the government to pass into law and take necessary steps to implement the proposed Biodiversity and Community Knowledge Protection Act of Bangladesh drafted in 1998 as a follow-up of the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 that adopted the Convention on Diversity (CBD), which was subsequently ratified by Bangladesh in 1994.

Khan also suggested tightening up the existing laws relating to the preservation of the protected forest areas, prohibition of hunting of wildlife while at the same time ensuring their strict enforcement

The participants felt that afforestation or social forestry implementation by exotic species in different areas of the country as well as destruction of swamp forests of Sylhet division as important ongoing issues that required atention.

They recommended that at least 10 per cent protected areas must be functionally present with representation from all different forest types in the country and government should take necessary actions in this regard immediately.

They felt that there was an urgent need to involve indigenous people in biodiversity conservation. The group identified a number of databases and other resources that could serve as a starting point for restoration activities.

The workshop also identified different institutions that are involved in biodiversity conservation.

Among others, Professor Kazi Zaker Husain and Dr Jashim Uddin of Dhaka University, Razia Quader of Dharitri, Prof Harunur Rashid of IUB, Dr Rezaul Karim, formerly ESCAP, Shamsur Rahman and Haradhan Banik of Forest Department, Enam Ul Haque of WTB, Professor Dwijen Sarma, Naser Khan of POROSH, Professor Zahed Uddin Mahmood Khan, Dr Md. Mofizul Kabir and Professor Mahfuzur Rahman of Jahangirnagar University, Alamgir Hossain of NSU, Dr Hasan Sajed of PROSHIKA, Mowdudur Rahman of CCEC, Shayer Ibne Alam of IUCN and MA Hashem of NISHORGO participated in the discussion.

The representatives from different indigenous groups also participated in the discussion.