The Hindu : India, Bangladesh to jointly protect Sunderbans

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 14, 2002

International

International

India, Bangladesh to jointly protect Sunderbans

By Haroon Habib

DHAKA May 13 . Political leaders and experts here have underscored the need for a joint strategy with India on bio-diversity management in the Sunderbans to protect the world's largest mangrove forest. Bangladesh's Environment and Forest Minister, Shahjahan Siraj, has said that it is the responsibility of the two Governments as well as the global community to protect and conserve the mangrove forest spread over 10,000 sq. km, 60 per cent of which is in Bangladesh and the rest in West Bengal.

Addressing a workshop on the Sunderbans here, Mr. Siraj said: "We need to strike a balance between saving the Sunderbans and people's livelihood. The bio-diversity management in the Sunderbans world heritage sites is an integrated two-country approach in India and Bangladesh, which is complementary to the Sunderbans bio-diversity conservation project."

The bio-diversity in the mangrove forest is facing new challenges due to decreased water flow from upstream. It is learnt that the Minister would visit India soon to talk to his Indian counterpart and finalise the cooperation plan. As part of the proposed common deal, the West Bengal Minister in-charge of Forests, Jogesh Barman, and the Minister of State for Forests, Maheshwar Murmu, visited several areas of the Sunderbans on the Bangladesh side in February last. The workshop at Dhaka was the follow-up of a series of initiatives aimed at protecting the Sunderbans. A similar workshop was held in Kolkata last month.

"One eco-system needs a single protection system, not two. That's why this eco-partnership between the Governments of Bangladesh and India is a remarkable political initiative as much as an imaginative field operation in defence of an endangered global treasure'', said Jorgen Lissner, UNDP Representative in Dhaka. Ted Turner's U.N. Foundation will fund the deal once it is finalised.

Meanwhile, the U.N. International Partnership Trust Fund and the UNESCO have provided $100,000 and $20,000 respectively for the preparatory process.

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