Lathitila Forest is a goldmine or the last refuge for all primates, carnivores, rodents and herbivores. Photo: Collected

In 1981, under the leadership of AZM Obaidullah Khan, then secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the government organised a meeting of SAARC agricultural ministers in Dhaka. To mark the event, a 91-page book titled Agriculture in Bangladesh was published, with a keynote paper by Richard William Timm. 

The book reported conflicting forest coverage data: the introduction cited 10%, while Timm's satellite analysis indicated only 7%. This discrepancy has remained unchallenged by the Forest Department. As per the Forest Department website, the country has about 1,377,000 hectares of mixed-evergreen forest/hill forest, which is only 9.33% of the country's area. 

Yet, the Forest Department proposed a plan to build a safari park in the reserved Lathitila Forest of Moulvibazar, violating environmental laws. The Tk1,000 crore project involves hill-cutting and deforestation across 5,631 acres, despite the area being a reserved forest where even entry requires permission. 

So far, the government has formed a four-member committee to assess the environmental impact of the proposed Bangabandhu Safari Park on the Lathitila reserve forest under Juri Forest Range in Moulvibazar. 

But the plan needs to be scrapped for its negative impact on forests, wildlife and natural biodiversity.

Do we have any virgin forest? 

Of the terrestrial ecosystems, Bangladesh has the 'Chirosabuj' or 'Mishra Chirosabuj Bon' — the evergreen or mixed-evergreen forests — in the Greater Sylhet district, Chattogram district and the Chattogram Hill Tracts. The other one is the Shalbon or Sal Forest mainly in Dhaka division and some in Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions.  

From my own experiences, I can say that I have never seen a virgin mixed-evergreen forest, ranging from one to five square kilometres anywhere in the country. By virgin, I mean a patch of natural forest that human beings have not altered for commercial or developmental purposes. 

Let us now look at the evergreen or mixed-evergreen forests that we have, like the Lathitila forest beat under Juri Forest Range of the Moulvibazar Forest Division. As per the old working plans for the Sylhet division, which included Lathitila as well, has been planted with indigenous tree species mentioned above and exotic trees such as Acacia, Eucalyptus, Albizia chinensis, Mahogany, Teak, and others. 

All other forests under the Sylhet and Chattogram divisions are known as 'denuded forest' because these have been worked on either by government people or the members of the public. 

That means original or virgin forests have been replaced with man-selected or planted species of trees where undesirable and exotic plant species are flourishing as undergrowth or lower tier of this forest. 

Hence, these forests look completely 'evergreen' from the sides or top (when flying over on low-flying planes or helicopters) because of few original tree species having survived from the past forestry practices, a few species of trees of non-commercial values, supported by shrubby under tree vegetation, and huge undergrowth of shrubs and lianas and tangled mass formed mainly of exotic species such as the Chromolaena odorata (old name Eupatorium odoratum as in all past master plans and literature), Mikania scandens, Lantana camara, etc. 

Considering that Lathitila is a denuded forest, it is still thousand times better than all the Sal forests we have in the country. The reason is that Lathitila represents a remnant evergreen forest and hence a home for some wild animals that roamed the natural forests in the past.  

In my 2015 book 'Wildlife of Bangladesh', I mentioned 133 species of mammals that likely inhabit the land and waters of Bangladesh. However, recent research from 2023 highlights a much bleaker picture for Lathitila forest, reporting only 38 species, including four female Asian elephants. 

These elephants are descendants of a once-tamed herd, not truly wild. The forest lacks large megafauna like rhinos, tigers, and leopards, with only small carnivores such as mongoose and civets present. The absence of large herbivores and predators signals the forest's fragile ecological state, which is on the brink of collapse.

Ray of hope in Lathitila Forest 

However, this small patch of almost isolated mixed-evergreen forest under the Greater Sylhet district is a goldmine or the last refuge for all primates, carnivores, rodents and herbivores that have so far been noted there. No where in Greater Sylhet do we have such an assemblage of mammals. 

These include six each of nationally recognised Critically Endangered (IUCN Bangladesh) and Endangered species. Internationally there are one Critically Endangered, 4 Endangered and 5 Vulnerable species on the IUCN RED List (International). 

Therefore, the Lathitila Forest is nationally and internationally an important piece of biodiversity rich denuded Mixed-evergreen forest that deserves to be preserved in its entirety and on an urgent basis. 

Disaster looms over the sky of Lathitila forest 

It looks like Bangladesh's Forest Department is veering away from all ethics and norms to wipe out this forest and convert it into a man-made concrete jungle to house more foreign animals than indigenous animals in the name of another "Bangabandhu Safari Park".

According to the circular, dated 21 August 2024, the proposed Safari Park project in Lathitila forest was conditionally approved in the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) meeting on 9 November 2023, ignoring the objections of wildlife experts and environmentalists. 

The proposed project is included in the list of unallocated unsanctioned projects in ADP 2024-25. 

This decision sparked controversy as the safari park would be in the constituency of the the-then environment, forest and climate change minister Shahab Uddin. 

Many wildlife biologists, including myself, educationists, litterateurs, artists, concerned citizens and social elites have vehemently opposed this project simply because there was no necessity of building a large man-made zoo in the name of a safari park inside a remnant denuded forest.  

It would have wiped out all semi-natural and natural plants along with the animals dependent on these. Invariably it could have also destroyed all the perennial water courses feeding the nearby villages and their agricultural fields, and naturally landscaped undulating hilly terrain. 

I guess the project has been temporarily halted.  Considering the large array of plants and animals it supports; the ecosystem benefit the Lathitila Forest lends to the local environment and human population there should never be any developmental activities in such relic and remote forests. 

Steps necessary to preserve our forests

The current Bangladesh government must ensure the preservation of not just the Lathitila Forest but also all forests in the hills and the Sundarbans. A total ban should be imposed on using forest land for non-forest and non-wildlife activities. The hill forests, Sundarbans, and Sal forests must be declared fully reserved and managed sustainably by foresters and wildlife biologists following international best practices.

All human and developmental activities in forests, including construction projects, must be halted. Instead, funds should be allocated for sustainable management of forest and wildlife resources.

To achieve this, the government should create an independent Wildlife Conservation and Management Department, responsible for managing all protected areas, critical habitats, eco-parks, and zoos. This department would safeguard trees, plants, and wildlife across the country, preventing future habitat and wildlife losses.

I urge upon the government to immediately scrap the Safari Park Project in the Lathitila Forest, and any other project slated to convert forest areas be stopped in future as well.  

Dr Reza khan is a Zoo and Wildlife Management Expert. 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.