End of goods days for wildlife as Sundarbans reopens for tourists, foresters 1 Sep

Tourists and forest-dependent communities such as honey collectors, woodcutters and fishermen are all ready to go into the Sundarbans after a long closure. But is the world's largest mangrove forest ready to welcome them?

The forest department will re-allow the entry of foresters and tourists into the Sundarbans on 1 September after the end of the three-month entry ban (From 1 June to 31 August), imposed due to the breeding season of wild animals.

According to forest officials, the Sundarbans regained some of its natural glory during the closure but environmentalists and forest experts believe the forest should be left undisturbed completely for its ecosystem to flourish.   

Dr Abu Naser Mohsin Hossain, a forest officer (west division) of Sundarbans, said, "Most of the animals in the Sundarbans breed during the monsoon season. The ban was imposed so that the wildlife does not face any kind of problem. The forest department did not issue any pass permit to anyone during this period."

Fishermen busy gearing up

According to Forest Department sources, some 12,000 boats and trawlers have been given board licence certificates (BLCs) for extracting resources from Sundarbans.

Around 1,50,000 Jalley (fish and crab harvester), Bouali (wood and thatch cutter) and Mouali (honey extractors), living in the coastal villages adjacent to the Sundarbans, collect resources from the forest every year.

Zahirul Islam Jewel, officer-in-charge of Kalabagi Forest Station in Sundarbans, said, "Fishermen will be allowed to collect fish and crabs from 1 September but the extraction of Golpata (Nipa Palm – a trunkless palm with tall erect leaves) and honey will remain suspended for now." 

Forester Abdus Sattar of Kalabagi village of Dakop upazila of Khulna said, "Almost all the people of our village depend on the Sundarbans one way or another for their livelihood. I am getting permission to go into the Sundarbans again after three months of closure. So the fishermen of the village are busy repairing boats and nets."

"During the ban, we spent days without food. We have not been given any assistance by the government," he said. 

Mihir Kumar Do, a forest conservator in Khulna, said, "We cannot provide any kind of assistance to the foresters during the ban. But this year a recommendation was made to the government for providing assistance to the foresters. Hopefully, in the coming years, they might get help."

Tour operators start bookings 

According to the Forest Department, there are currently seven eco-tourism centres operating in the Sundarbans. About 2,05,000 tourists visit there every year. Besides, four new eco-tourism centres are being constructed.

Howladar Azad Kabir, officer-in-charge of Karamjal Eco-Tourism Centre of Sundarbans, said, "About 90% of the tourists who come to the forest visit Karamjal at least once as it is the closest to the mainland. We are cleaning up the centre for reopening on 1 September."

M Nazmul Azam David, general secretary of the Tour Operators' Association of Sundarbans, said, "The tour operators had no work for three months. Now they have started advance booking."

Wild animals roam free and reclaim past glory

Since the ban came into effect, animals that usually hide in the depths of the forest are now seen at tourist centres and on the banks of rivers and canals.

Zahirul Islam Jewel, station officer (SO) of Kalabagi Eco-Tourism Centre in the Sundarbans, said, "No one has been able to enter the Sundarbans for a long time. The animals usually shy away from the noise of people and boats. But now they are roaming freely."

Forest experts said when Golpata extraction is allowed, wild animals rarely come to the river banks. The Boualis stay on the banks of the river for long days to cut the leaves. 

The appearance of the river banks has completely changed due to Golpata extraction, which is a threat to wild animals, they said.

Additionally, when the Moualis start collecting honey, they travel miles in groups to find hives in the forests, stoking fear among wild animals. They chase away the bees in the hives by setting them on fire, prompting the surrounding wild animals to flee.

Forest experts also said that unscrupulous fishermen often poison various rivers and canals to harvest fish. 

Tourists go to the forest and try to feed the deer and monkeys with different kinds of food. Various types of plastic waste are dumped inside the forest. As a result, there is a danger of human body germs entering the bodies of wild animals, according to experts.

Ranjil Bawali, a forester who has been extracting resources from the Sundarbans for more than 50 years, said, "Fishermen cut trees when they are in the forest. Some even hunt deer or fish with poison. Many of them were arrested by the forest department. But during bans, the forest restores itself."

"Every year, when we go back to the forest after the ban, we see it in a new form. We see more fish in the canals, we hear more birds chirping. However, within a few days, the condition changes and the forest becomes lifeless," he said.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Karamjal Station Hawladar Azad Kabir said, "Due to the ongoing ban, it seems the Sundarbans is back to its original form."

Forests will survive if not disturbed

Mahfuzur Rahman Mukul, Khulna divisional coordinator of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers' Association (Bela), said, "On the one hand, the number of foresters is increasing every year in the Sundarbans, and on the other, forest resources are depleting. The Sundarbans would have been more protected if a long-term master plan for forest protection had been created by providing alternative employment to foresters."

Sundarbans Academy Executive Director Professor Anwarul Qadir said, "If resources are not systematically extracted from the forest, the normal ecosystem will be damaged."

"Foresters are allowed to extract resources after they pay revenue. The thought of collecting revenue from the Sundarbans should be discarded. The forest should be allowed to remain as a forest without any disturbance," he said.

But Forest Officer Dr Abu Nasser Mohsin said, "The entire Sundarbans is protected. No one can enter there without prior permission. Besides, 52% of the Sundarbans have been declared a sanctuary. No fisherman, Bouali or forester can enter there. More areas will be declared sanctuaries in future."