At the moment, about 1 million species are on the verge of extinction. Needless to say, the responsibility of maintaining the natural balance and the environment belongs to the entire human race spread all over the world. But it took us many ages to realize that importance.
।। Ashikujaman Syed।।
The pollution of the sea and the river is going on due to the ignorance of the people. According to the the national newspapers news, biodiversity is being severely disrupted as a consequence. Within a month, four dead dolphins have floated off the coast of Sitakunda in Chittagong. In the last one year alone, 21 dead dolphins have been found off the coast of Cox’s Bazar. In addition to the sea, the death of dolphins in Halda and Karnafuli and even in the river Teesta is becoming a daily occurrence. Dolphin deaths are on the rise due to water pollution caused by mechanical boats, blind fishing by fishermen and industrial waste, analysts say.
Bangladesh is a country rich in biodiversity. Due to its tropical status, Bangladesh has a wide variety of tree species and fauna compared to temperate countries. But it is also true that in a small country, under the pressure of overpopulation, many plants and herbs and biodiversity are already lost or on the verge of extinction. There is no alternative to population control in order to conserve biodiversity. Forests and water bodies are essential for the conservation of flora and fauna in any country.
However, the amount of forest in the country is very meagre. In the south, except for the Sundarbans and a few parts of the hilly region, there is forest forest areas. That is about 19 percent of the total land and population of the country. But at least 25 percent is needed – to preserve nature and the environment and biodiversity. On the one hand, the livelihood of the poor people is dependent on forest and animal husbandry for livelihood, on the other hand, the illegal killing of plants and wild animals by some corrupt officials and employees of the Ministry of Forests and Environment has been seen as a risk.
Since ancient times, Kabiraji, Hekimi and Unani medical methods have been recognized and practiced, and as a raw material, there has been an inevitable pressure on rare species of shrubs, plants and animals. Already many rare animals, even vultures are almost endangered. The existence of aquatic fauna and shrubs is also endangered as a result of unplanned fishery extraction. In addition to this, the flooding of rivers and reservoirs has appeared as a thunder signal.
The situation can be improved only if the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2017 is strictly enforced. In the last 10,000 years, the world’s population has grown from one million to over 800 million. Its impact has been made on biodiversity.
At the moment, about 1 million species are on the verge of extinction. Needless to say, the responsibility of maintaining the natural balance and the environment belongs to the entire human race spread all over the world. But it took us many ages to realize that importance. Warming, urbanization, deforestation, use of pesticides, climate change, etc. are notable causes of endangering biodiversity. Therefore, everyone should be aware of the protection of all kinds of biodiversity. Otherwise, our future generations will have suffer hugely.
The writer is a Research Assistant, Bioinformatics Research Lab, Center for Research Innovation and Development (CRID).
