Photo : Collected
A 4-day workshop to bolster tiger conservation commenced on Monday in the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest.
The workshop, organized by WildTeam Conservation Biology Centre at Joymonirghol in Mongla upazila of Bagerhat, adjacent to the Sundarbans, is a collaborative initiative between WildTeam, renowned wildlife conservation organization in Bangladesh, and the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).
Kazi Mohammad Nurul Karim, divisional forest officer (DFO) of Sundarbans East Division, inaugurated the event.
The event is supported by the KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau), the German government’s development bank, and the Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Program (ITHCP) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
“Earlier, when a tiger would enter the locality from Sundarbans, villagers used to beat and kill it. With the involvement of locals in the protection of tigers and tireless efforts of WildTeam and Village Tiger Response Team (VTRT), fruitful results have been achieved,” said DFO Nurul.
“Now, when tigers and other wildlife enter villages, members of all these teams, along with the cooperation of the forest department, return the tigers and other wildlife to Sundarbans. Women are also working as conservationists alongside men. People are now aware,” he said.
In addition to the training of these conservationists, it is necessary to provide various types of assistance, said the DFO.
WildTeam’s Chief Executive, Dr Md Anwarul Islam, said, “Through the activities of WildTeam, VTRT, Forest Tiger Response Team (FTRT), Baghbandhu (Friends of Tigers) and Tiger Scouts, the song ‘Sundarban Mayer Moton’ has become quite popular among the people. It has become easier to involve the people in the protection of tigers and the Sundarbans.”
He said tigers are the natural guardian and parent of the Sundarbans, and locals believe that if there are no tigers, there will be no Sundarbans, and if there is no Sundarbans, there will be no Bangladesh. The government and the people of Bangladesh are now united, and, therefore, he believed that the symbol of national pride, the Royal Bengal Tiger, will remain, the Sundarbans will remain, and Bangladesh will remain.
A 35-member Indian delegation is participating in the workshop, sharing valuable insights and experiences in community participation in forest conservation.
Indian representatives who participated in the workshop said that Tiger Scout, Baghbandhu and VTRT have been started as best practice in India. This model of Bangladesh has been reflected in the Sundarbans area of India. They emphasized the need for collaborative efforts between India and Bangladesh to protect the natural heritage of the Sundarbans.
They also called for joint efforts between the two countries to prevent the decline in the number of tigers.
The workshop aims to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange between the local communities of Bangladesh and India to address the challenges faced by the Sundarbans, which include poaching, habitat loss, and the impacts of climate change.
With 70 participants from various levels, including VTRT, FTRT, Baghbandhu, and Scouts, the workshop provides a comprehensive platform to discuss and understand the multifaceted aspects of tiger conservation.
The Sundarbans, home to a significant population of Royal Bengal Tigers, faces unique challenges that necessitate a collective and community-centric approach to conservation. The workshop’s agenda includes field visits and a focus on community participation, acknowledging its pivotal role in the effective preservation of the endangered species.
The workshop, set to conclude on Thursday, represents a crucial opportunity for Bangladesh and India to strengthen their collaborative efforts in tiger conservation. It emphasizes the significance of shared knowledge and experiences in addressing the intricate issues surrounding the protection of tigers in the Sundarbans, fostering a united front against the threats posed by poaching, habitat loss, and climate change.
Messenger/Fameema
