Save Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary from encroachers

The destruction of around one square kilometre of forest area in the Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary—to satisfy the greed of one man and his accomplices—is unacceptable. Satgar, which falls under the sanctuary in Chattogram, used to be a lush green haven for Asian elephants. However, Abu Taher, a locally influential man, and his cohorts have reportedly wiped out much of the forest area within a decade. This involved cutting down trees, razing hillocks, and lifting sand, thus making the area barren. The devastation has endangered the Asian elephants and other species.

Indiscriminate sand lifting, for example, has led to a lake forming in the area, along with at least 30 other large holes. In late 2022, an elephant calf died after falling into one of the holes, bringing to light the impact of the damage done in the process. Besides, sand lifters also destroyed at least seven hills and thousands of trees in the area. Thus, this once-natural ecosystem for endangered elephants has turned into a deathtrap for them. The destruction of their habitat has compelled the elephants to invade localities adjacent to the forest which, in turn, has increased human-elephant conflicts, even leading to the death of at least one man.

Over the last decade, the forest department has filed at least 32 cases against Abu Taher. He along with his cohorts have also been arrested at least twice, but they managed to walk free on bail. According to an official of the Chattogram South Forest Division, forest destroyers are exploiting gaps in existing laws, as the offence typically carries a very nominal punishment. Abu Taher and his men are also allegedly being protected by some ruling party leaders, making it more difficult to take action against them.

But such wanton destruction of a wildlife sanctuary must stop. Those responsible for its present state must be brought to book, and the area has to be restored. The authorities must also make necessary amendments to the environmental laws so that perpetrators cannot exploit them or loopholes in the system to ravage our nature.