What will Nijhum Dwip offer if it loses its forest and deer?

Cruising on a packed trawler from Muktaria Ghat to Nijhum Dwip Ghat, we curiously looked ahead for herds of deer in the green horizon.

Some of the fellow passengers, including Forest Department officials, however, hinted that we would be disappointed. "In the summer days, the deer hide deep in the forest," said SM Saifur Rahman, Jahajmara forest range officer.

Still, we remained optimistic. We were on our way to Nijhum Dwip National Park — the country's second largest mangrove forest under the remote Hatia upazila — considered overpopulated by Chital deer even a few years ago. 

Despite an exhausting journey from Dhaka, we woke up the next day before dawn, because we were told that thirsty deer might appear in one part of the forest to drink creek water. 

Under the twilight, we travelled into the Chhoakhali point of the forest. We stepped on the ground softly, as our local guide Sirajul Islam - a young man who works as a motorbike ride-sharer - pointed out that murmurs of dry leaves and spiky aerial roots of mangroves could alert wild animals. 

Photo: Rajib Dhar

As the rising sun illuminated the woods, we saw tall Keora trees with depleting green canopies. There were a few young trees as well, shorter in height,  on which the deer usually feed. There we also observed several tree stumps left. 

However, we didn't spot a single deer during that two-hour trek. 

With frustration, guide Sirajul said, "We can't show tourists deer like we used to before."  

The forest is depleting fast, and so is the deer, said Sirajul. 

The mangrove forest, mainly of Keora (Sonneratia Apetala), was created by the Forest Department on newly accredited land through several coastal afforestation programmes implemented in 1972. In 1980, three pairs of Chital Harin or Spotted Deer (Axis axis) were released into the island. The deer population later rapidly increased to around 20,000 individuals. 

For the last couple of years, several news media reported that the population of deer around Nijhum Dwip has been decreasing. So where have the deer gone? 

Following suggestions from other concerned people, including NGO officials, we went to the Nijhum Dwip forest neighbouring Harin Bazar, Namar Bazar and Narayan Killa vicinity. 

We didn't search for deer again, but observed first hand the state of forest degradation in the name of human habitat extension. 

The intertidal vast land looked unusual as it was dotted with numerous Keora stumps. The land was also crisscrossed by enclosures as the occupants – living in makeshift cottages on plinths – had transformed them for fish farming.  

Middle-aged fisherman Mohammad Nesar, displaced from Hatia, arrived in Nijhum Dwip five years ago. He bought 40 decimal of land on Namar Bazar tidal flat at only Tk50,000.   

Aggressive growth of human habitat, deer migration following natural calamities, and disturbances by canines and cattle, led to the falling deer population. Photo: Rajib Dhar

Within one year of Nesar's arrival, his other relatives, including his brother-in-law Mohammad Nobiruddin, landed on the island. The latter purchased 40 decimal of land and started to live there. 

But the land is actually owned by the Forest Department. 

To whom did you pay the price for the land? "We bought the lands from one relative of former Nijhum Dwip Union Parishad Chairman Meheraj Uddin," Nesar and Nobiruddin replied. 

After his defeat in the September 2021 UP Election, Meheraj permanently left Nijhum Dwip. We could not reach the relative or Meheraj for comments. 

The Forest Department declared the 40,310-acre land of Nijhum Dwip and its adjacent 11 islands a national park in 2001. In 2013, Nijhum Dwip was designated an independent union, separated from Hatia. 

According to Forest Department officials, people's representatives, with the help of the District Administration, started the conversion of the forest land into khas land, and leased them to many displaced fishermen, soon after Nijhum Dwip became a union. 

The process of land conversion also included aggressive razing of the forest, officials said.

Photo: Rajib Dhar

Several studies, including Google Earth image analysis, suggest that about 42% of the Nijhum Dwip National Park has disappeared in the last 30 years.  

"To create confusion in the land documents, vested interest groups renamed the islands: Char Kamala as Char Mahid, and Char Bahauddin as Domar Char," said Jahajmara range officer Saifur, who has been posted at Hatia since 2018. 

According to the forest officer, aggressive growth of human habitat, deer migration following natural calamities, and disturbances by canines and cattle, led to the falling deer population. 

"Local people also prey on deer. Still, there are a significant number of deer. But they avoid human gatherings," said Saifur, adding that there is no reliable census on the deer population. 

Before our return from the second largest mangrove forest, our guide Sirajul made a last attempt to show us deer.  

At night, we again intruded into the forest through a green patch adjacent to Chhoakhali point. From a distance, Sirajul flashed the headlight of his motorbike. And finally, we spotted a small herd of deer resting on a blanket of velvety green grass.

Their eyes reflected the light. 

Sirajul was relieved. "It would have been an insult if I failed to show you the deer," he said.

Mohammad Kaisar Khasro, the Hatia Upazila Nirbahi Officer, believes that people of Nijhum Dwip should feel proud of the mangrove forest and the deer. "Local people should be proactive in the conservation of the forest and wildlife. Otherwise, what will they offer to tourists?" said Kaisar. 

The top administrative officer for the sub-district added that the local government administration and the people's representatives are now committed to Nijhum Dwip conservation. So, conversion of forest land is not allowed anymore, he said.