Trace 71: The type of forest in Chittagong Hill Tracts is different from other parts of the country. Forests are being deforested the most here. What is the cause of deforestation?
Debashish Roy: The CHT was not like this a hundred years ago. The hill people lived in the forest and their livelihood depended on the forest. They protected the forest and made a living. Land and forests in the Chittagong Hill Tracts are now administratively controlled by different government agencies. During the Pakistan period, 24% of the Chittagong Hill Tracts was declared as a protected forest. Then during the BNP government in the nineties some new areas were declared as protected forests. The issue of ownership of some of these areas was pending in the high court. Half of the 120,000 acres of forest land is reserved forest. The forest department controls the protected forest. There is no hand of Zila Parishad, Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board.
Trace 71: What was forest management like during British rule?
Debashish Roy: The issue of forest protection was different during British rule. At that time there was no one here except the forest department. Foresters tried to control the forest with guns on their shoulders and forest cases. Now the situation is different. Both hill people and Bengalis are living in protected forests. Several hilly areas have been excluded from the list of protected forests. The Union council has been announced there. Various public and private establishments and settlements have been built. Most government agencies have offices there. As a result, the issue of forest protection and management is no longer the same.
Trace 71: You have seen the issue of forests from inside and outside the government.
Debashish Roy: I was the special assistant to the chief adviser during the former caretaker government. In addition, at the request of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, I, as the head of the Chakma Circle, gave my opinion on the Forest Act. At the request of Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Ministry, I have given my views on forest protection in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Giving these opinions and moving on with the law, I have some idea about the forest here. I think our forest law is very old. Many changes have been made in the forest law of neighboring India. They are gradually moving towards environmentally friendly forest laws. But we are still walking that old path. There is a huge difference between our forest policy and law. Our forest policy is becoming more environmentally friendly and people-oriented. And the forest law is gradually going against the environment and the local people.
Trace 71: Can you clarify the matter?
Debashish Roy: Our forest policy calls for the participation of local people and protection of the ecosystem. But the Forest Act has placed more emphasis on litigation and legal action. It is now clear that the forest department alone cannot protect the country's forests. They will guard the forest with rifles on their shoulders and will file empty cases against the locals. It can't be. They are suing the physically challenged and even the deceased under the Forest Act. Forests cannot be protected in this way. In order to protect the forest, the
local people have to move forward together. If forests were protected by lawsuits, then where there were more lawsuits, more forests would be protected. In reality, the opposite is happening.
Trace 71: Is the forest department doing social forestry with the local people to create forests?
Debashish Roy: We have seen from the opinion of the locals and research that this initiative cannot protect the forest. Social forestry is not effective in the case of Chittagong Hill Tracts. This is destroying more forests. We have done research with Professor Sadeka Halim of Dhaka University and we have seen that mountain forest will not be protected through social forestry.
Trace 71: The forest department has no control over the forest lands outside the protected forest. How are they?
Debashish Roy: Two-thirds of the hill area is outside the forest cover. They are governed by several levels of administration. When the trees of that forest are cut down, only approval has to be taken from the forest department. Apart from this, the forest department has no control over that part of the forest. There are heads of small ethnic groups in these forest areas. They are controlled by district councils and circle heads. They also represent the local people. They play the role of Deputy Forest Conservator (DFO) of the forest department. Their next level is business.
There are two types of land outside the control of the forest department. One is the Village Common Forest, which we call Mouza Forest. The local people have been cultivating jump and jungle trees in these forests for a long time. They can sell these in the market. Another type of forest is unclassified forest land. Those forests are controlled by the district administration. It is the responsibility of the headman to look after the forest area in the mouza. These lands are kept out of the scope of Zum. In other words, there is a social system to protect the forest.
Trace 71: Is there any full survey of the forest in Chittagong Hill Tracts, the boundaries have been determined?
Debashish Roy: Sadly that has not happened yet. No government agency, including the forest department, knows which land belongs to which class. Most of the people in government institutions still do not know which forest is protected and which is unclassified. Because, they do not have any map and boundaries of these forests to mark the division of the mouza. Only headmen know this. As a result, when permission is granted by the forest department and district administration to cut down holding trees, the headman identifies the type of land. They have traditional and inherited knowledge about forests, hills and trees. For that reason, state approval is also given for their appointment.
Trace 71: Teak is being planted more in the land of the farm and in the mouza forest. Many are orchards. These are playing a role in improving the livelihood of the people of Chittagong Hill Tracts. How much is the forest being protected?
Debashish Roy: That is the basic question and problem. Because, even among the hills, there is a tendency to plant teak trees in these lands for livelihood. These teak trees brought from Myanmar during British rule grow fast and are available at good prices in the timber market. But it is deadly harmful to mountain land. No other shrub can grow under teak. Because the leaves of the teak tree are quite big. When they fall to the ground, they do not get enough light and air to grow other shrubs or small trees. As a result, when the rains start, the soil under the teak tree erodes quickly and breaks down in the current. If there were shrubs, they would hold the soil. As a result, Segunbagan is detrimental to the overall environment of Chittagong Hill Tracts.
Trace 71: Mango, litchi and banana orchards are flourishing in the hills now.
Debashish Roy: It is harmful to grow a single crop or plant garden in any one area in the hills. Once upon a time there was encouragement to build a rubber garden. Various companies are still planting orchards in many parts of the hills. Locals are also interested in fruit cultivation. Because, it is a fast and regular income. The demand for these agricultural products is also high in the market. But here too the same thing is to be said, the cultivation of such a single crop is endangering the soil and nature of the hills. Destroying the biodiversity here.
Trace 71: What is the way out of this situation?
Debashish Roy:This is a big challenge. Because, no such industry has been developed in Chittagong Hill Tracts. Due to the large forest area, there is less opportunity for agriculture. Now if we tell someone you don't plant teak. He will not agree to that. Because, he also has the right to feed and educate the child well. They will say that if teak is planted, the income will be 20 to 25 lakh rupees per year. You can teach your son in Dhaka or Chittagong. This means that the government has to play a role in protecting the biodiversity of the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Alternative employment needs to be arranged for the hill people. There is a lot of Ranguan mango, which does not require any irrigation. Being amrapali. Now if the government takes the initiative to set up a mango pulp or juice factory here, the private sector will be interested in setting up other fruit processing factories. Then market management and employment opportunities will be created here. This cannot be done by anyone other than the government.
Trace 71: Is there any way to protect the biodiversity of Chittagong Hill Tracts?
Debashish Roy: There are several mouza forests in the small deer mouza of Rangamati. There is a small river Harina flowing there. The biodiversity there is quite good. Because, through a few private organizations, initiatives to protect biodiversity and the natural environment have been successful. However, no survey has been done in the Chittagong Hill Tracts as a whole, including forests, rhymes, jhiri and rivers. That is why no initiative is being taken to protect the environment and develop biodiversity in the region. Where there is more forest, if the government allocates more development, the local people will be encouraged to protect the forest.
Trace 71: Who can play the biggest role in protecting the forests of Chittagong Hill Tracts?
Debashish Roy: Not only in Bangladesh, 80 percent of the world's forest lands are small ethnic groups. Forests have been destroyed where they have been removed. You will see the same situation in Bangladesh. Except for one or two forest lands in this country, small ethnic groups are protecting forests everywhere. The forest is being destroyed only by removing them and establishing sole control of the forest department or any other government agency. The hills in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the Garo in Madhupur, the Tripuras in Sitakunda once lived more. At that time there were more forests and wild animals. Removing them and building new settlements there has led to increased deforestation.
It is very clear that forests will be protected where small ethnic groups live. Because they worship the forest, they consider it a part of their life. Their livelihood comes from there. As a result, they will protect the forest for their own benefit. The bare hills that you will see when you go to the Chittagong Hill Tracts are the protected forests of the forest department. And the greenery you will see is the forest of the hill settlements. It shows how to protect the mountain forest.
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