Worrying developments have been reported over the years in many forests of Bangladesh where trees are bring cut down indiscriminately to fuel brick kilns or for other purposes. Let (Sunday) International Day of Forests herald a fresh start to restore our forests and create a healthier world for us all. We owe so much to forests.
According to experts, forests have been helping to keep people worldwide safe and healthy during the Covid-19 pandemic. The practice of felling trees illegally has been going on for long in collusion between local influentials and forest officials who profit from cutting trees, which has serious repercussions for the environment. The importance of forests, which act as a shield against natural disasters, is enormous. Felling trees is not only damaging biodiversity but also enhance the causes of floods and storms.
Experts also say, forests are acting as carbon sinks supply food, fuel and medicinal plants to well over a billion people, and support the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of more across the globe. So, if trees are to be cut down for some reason, new trees must soon be raised in the affected region. This is especially important for Bangladesh where the total area of forestland has come down to a paltry 7-9 per cent, whereas it is expected that a country should have at least 25 per cent forest cover.
A news report published in a national daily on Sunday said that the Covid-19 has served a wake-up call to the fact that the health of humans, animals and the environment are interconnected. For the vulnerable people around the world, forests have been acting as vital safety nets, providing food sources and income when supply chain disrupted in a situation like the corona pandemic. We must also recognize that deforestation and the unsustainable use of the world’s forests significantly increase the risk of diseases caused by pathogens jumping from animals to humans. Currently two billion hectares – an area twice the size of China – are degraded due to overuse, drought and unsustainable forest and land management practices.
We must need to restore the world’s degraded forests and landscapes to re-establish healthy eco-systems – the focus of this year’s International Day of Forests. In our country, the concerned authorities must come down heavily on those indulging in the dangerous practice of felling trees for everyone’s sake.
