Contribution of Bangabandhu to the conservation of biodiversity in Bangladesh

Painting: Ahmed Shamsuddoha ( 2010/Acrylic on Canvas)

"As long as the Padma, Jamuna, Gauri, and Meghna flow
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, your fame will live on."

—Annadashankar Roy

Bangabandhu – the name without which there would be no Bangladesh – is a great hero who introduced a welfare and non-discriminatory state system in the country after independence. He realised exactly what we are experiencing now. If we meditate on his thoughts we would find that he foresaw the present time from that period.

One of his great visionary activities was protecting nature and the environment. He realised the importance of a healthy and beautiful environment. He adopted various plans to ensure the sustainable use of the limited natural resources of a newly independent country and to prioritise the control of environmental pollution, conservation of the environment and protection of biodiversity.

According to the American biologist EA Norse and his colleagues, biodiversity is the diversity of all kinds of animals and plants in all environments, from water to land. The world is moving forward with the interdependence of plants and animals. The survival of the animals depends on the plants. This dependence is rooted in the need for food, to create a conducive environment, or in the pursuit of survival. This chain is technically called the ecosystem. And maintaining the balance of this ecosystem is essential for our survival.

Biodiversity of Bangladesh

Bangladesh was once full of green and biodiversity. It has turned into a barren land under the pressure of a growing population. As a result, various inconsistencies are being created in society due to the adverse effects of nature. Wild animals help create a balanced environment for human resource development. Bangladesh has a special type of biodiversity which is a part of the world's biodiversity. Once it is completely destroyed, it will not be possible to bring it back.

The importance of biodiversity is immense. Birds catch insects from our fields, excrement work as fertiliser in lands, animals eat fruits and spread the seeds and thus help the reproduction of trees. Similarly, the forest is protected by wild animals. Forests provide us with the oxygen we need to survive, and provide us with firewood, fuel. The animal kingdom is dependent on each other in many ways.

Due to its fertile soil and warm and humid climate, Bangladesh is rich in biodiversity. Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna published by the Asiatic Society has published a detailed list of the biodiversity of Bangladesh. It contains the basic information of the plant and animal species of Bangladesh.

According to various estimates by scientists, the number of species (living) is 3 million to 30 million, of which about 1.4 million are classified. The list includes about 250,000 plants, 750,000 insects, 41,000 vertebrates, the rest are invertebrates, fungi, algae and microorganisms.

Bangabandhu's love for nature

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a true nature lover and environmentalist. A review of his biography reveals a clear picture of his love for nature. The name of the River Madhumati has been mentioned more than once in Bangabandhu's "Unfinished Autobiography".

We know from the writings of Monwarul Islam that whenever the deputy commissioners came to Ganabhaban, Bangabandhu used to tell them to plant a lot of trees. Once the then deputy commissioner of Sylhet Ershadul Haque came to Ganabhaban. Bangabandhu asked him, "Why do you not plant trees on the fallow lands in your district?"

The deputy commissioner replied, "The Shamshernagar Airport has been abandoned since the Second World War. Hundreds of acres of fallow lands are there. Monwarul Islam wrote, "Then Bangabandhu called me and said, give some money to Ershadul Haque. He will plant a few thousands of orange saplings."

According to the Prison Diary of Bangabandhu, the book which includes his memoirs from 1966 to 1968, he had a kind of love for the gardens and plants of the prison. The animals that entered the prison freely became his companions. He beautifully portrayed a pair of yellow birds in his writings which is unimaginable.

In Prison Diary, he wrote about on 16 July 1966, "The grasses are ruining my garden. I tried hard to eliminate them but couldn't finish." He felt a love for nature even when he was a prisoner. He felt an urgency to protect nature. He made various appeals for planting more trees to the people on the occasion of the tree planting campaign in 1974.

Bangabandhu's role in environmental protection

We find some incidents of Bangabandhu's love of nature in the writings of Monwarul Islam, an official of Ganabhaban. According to the writings, titled "Bangabandhu Transcends Time", Bangabandhu ordered to stop horse racing in the Suhrawardy Udyan. He said many families have gone bankrupt by betting on horses. He called the forest department officials and said, "Plant coconut trees in rows on the racing track." 

An official said that people will quarrel over the fruits of these trees and fight with each other. Hearing this, Bangabandhu laughed and said, "It is people's land and people's trees. If people eat fruit, why do we mind?"

Bangabandhu undertook afforestation projects at Char Kukri Mukri and Nijhum Dwip to protect the environment. Later some projects were taken up to recover the land from the sea.

Once Monwarul Islam told Bangabandhu, "The way the Sal and Gajari trees are being cut down from the forests of Bhawal, it will be decimated in a few days. The only way to protect it is to declare it a national park." Then Bangabandhu took up the programme with the help of the then Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Syed Rezaul Hayat.

Laws enacted by Bangabandhu to conserve biodiversity

The Father of the Nation enacted the Bangladesh Wildlife (Preservation) Order 1973 Ordinance realising the need to rebuild the war-torn country and change the destiny of the people as well as conserve forests, wildlife and biodiversity. To save the wildlife of the country, he enacted the Wildlife Conservation Act in 1974. Originally, this law marked a new chapter in the conservation of wildlife in the country.

He formed the Joint River Commission in 1972 and started water diplomacy. Soon after the independence, he collected dredgers to alleviate the naval crisis of the river. Realising the importance of waterway development, he undertook a multi-dimensional action plan. Under his patronage, the National Herbarium was established in the country in 1975.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman initiated environmental pollution control activities in Bangladesh in 1973 with the promulgation of the Water Pollution Control Ordinance 1973. His call for tree planting in 1972 was an epoch-making and far-sighted idea because the whole world is suffering from the negative effects of climate change. 

Bangabandhu's social movement for the preservation of nature and the environment of the country will always be remembered. His principles, ideals, values ​​have given him the glory of immortality beyond the boundaries of time.

Bangabandhu on the protection of the Sundarbans

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman made a historic comment that there is no way to save Bangladesh if the Sundarbans cannot be protected. Bangabandhu also highlighted the Sundarbans as the main bulwark against natural disasters. He said this while inaugurating Bangabandhu Tree Planting Week on 16 July 1972 at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka. Not only that, but the former great leader also warned the people about the impact of climate change.

In his speech, Bangabandhu also called for the construction of dams on the coast as well as planting more coconut trees.

In that historic speech, Bangabandhu said, "We did not create the Sundarbans by planting trees. It is a gift of nature to save Bangladesh. The Sundarbans along the Bay of Bengal is a wall. If it is not protected then one day Khulna, Barisal, Patuakhali, some parts of Comilla, some parts of Dhaka will go into the sea and these will become islands like Hatia, Sandwip. Once the Sundarbans is over, there is no way to protect the country from the erosion that the sea will cause."

But we are not being able to follow this direction of Bangabandhu. We have become digital people but have lost our humanity. There are 72 species of respiratory trees in the world, 65 of which are in our Sundarbans. In 1959, there were 295 trees per hectare in the Sundarbans, which has come down to 130. 

Due to the Farakka Dam, salinity in the Sundarbans area has increased and biodiversity is on the verge of extinction. Now, if the Rampal power plant is built next to the Sundarbans, the process of destruction will be further accelerated.

The contribution of Bangabandhu's daughter

In 2015, Bangabandhu's daughter and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina received the United Nations' Champions of the Earth award for her important role in protecting the environment and tackling climate change. This year the government has planned to plant one crore of trees in one day to observe Mujib Year. The nationwide tree planting programmes that have been held in the country are the realisation of Bangabandhu's dream.

"Every village has to be decorated beautifully," said the Prime Minister while watching a presentation at the Prime Minister's Office titled Land Acquisition and Biodiversity Conservation Plan adjacent to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Complex at Tungipara in Gopalganj.

The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) will implement a four-year project titled 'Land Acquisition and Biodiversity Conservation Plan' at a cost of Tk395 crore.

The Prime Minister directed the authorities concerned to adopt development plans keeping in view the protection of cultivable land.

The daughter of Bangabandhu said, "The Father of the Nation had taken a programme to ensure food security so that the cropland would not be wasted. Following his path, various development programmes will have to be planned. Not only the construction of concrete structures but also various projects need to be taken up and implemented according to the needs of the people by protecting the natural environment and biodiversity."

The Prime Minister advised not to build unnecessary bridges on the river and huge embankments next to the beel.

Under the direction of the Prime Minister, the project will be implemented in 281 municipalities across the country from January 2018 to December 2021. The projects include road development, construction of bridges and culverts, construction of drains and land acquisition and rehabilitation, conservation of biodiversity, digging of canals, embankment, renovation of ponds, beautification, and tree planting.

Apart from these, environmental development is being done at the district and upazila level by increasing the infrastructure and civic amenities of the municipalities, reducing poverty through increasing employment and developing essential infrastructure.

Her government also launched Bangabandhu Award in 2010 to encourage those who contribute to the conservation of rare, endangered, endangered plants, wildlife and biodiversity, education, research, etc.

Munni Khanam is a student of the Zoology Department of the University of Dhaka

To celebrate Bangabandhu's birth centenary in 2020, an essay competition was organised by the Department of Zoology of the University of Dhaka. There were two categories- Contribution of Bangabandhu to the Conservation of Biodiversity in Bangladesh and Animals in Bangla Literature and Culture. This article is the winning essay in the former category. The writer Munni Khanam got the highest point among the 3 winners. She scored 82.5 on a scale of 100.