The way we've been clearing the forests many dread the question which looms on the back of the environmental experts. How long will the Sundarbans in Bangladesh and its diverse wild life last? Many experts fear it's only a matter of time not if it's going to happen. From 2010 to 2025 although the area of the forest has remained stable but upon close observation something alarming reveals itself. Something sinister seems to be taking place inside the forest. When compared to previous records, at numerous points the density of the forest is in decline. What does it tell us? It whispers to us that while everything looks alright, in reality things are not. Quietly, trees are disappearing in this forest. Who could be behind it? The answer is not incomprehensible to anyone who knows what goes on while the government pretends that the house is in order. Illegal loggers and poachers roam freely leaving nothing but utter devastation in their wake. How do they operate while the government claims zero tolerance against illegal logging and poaching? Corruption is the obvious explanation. If the government departments had been sincere in their efforts things would not have come to this.

There’s also an international spin to it. The government faces a perpetual assault from across the borders. Poachers from the other side of the borders slip through the porous borders, slaughter tigers and then flee with their trophies with impunity. While the number of tigers in the tiger reserves in India have been increasing, we see the opposite picture in Bangladeshi part of the Sundarbans. So, the struggle to preserve the tiger habitat and wildlife in general in Bangladesh has to deal with an asymmetric scheme which spans across the borders. This only complicates government efforts to curb illegal logging and poaching. Apart from that, lack of understanding and the resulting indifference about the conservation efforts on the part of local population make protecting the tigers and their natural habitat a very elusive goal if not impossible. Economic factors like the population size and the subsequent pressure to acquire more land for urbanization projects also play an important role in this vicious cycle. Urbanization means clearing forests for towns and villages. The increasing numbers of eco parks only worsen the situation by adding another dimension to this issue - pollution. These eco parks attract large number of tourists, ultimately leading to polythene pollution, water pollution around the eco-parks. This threat, though nominal at present, cannot be ignored in the long run. Over a long period, pollution adds up.

The government needs to mobilize the locals against illegal logging and poachers. Somehow the government has to find a realistic way to involve the local population in this asymmetric struggle against the band of robbers and pirates who come mostly from across the borders. The government must make the locals see the tiger as an ecological necessity not a competitor in the area of earning a living. One of the ways could be educating the locals about the goals of conservation. If they can see the benefits to their offsprings they’ll be less likely to tolerate these criminals before their very nose. Providing vocational training is another method of preparing the ground to fight against the miscreants. Whatever the government decides to do, at the end of the day it won’t succeed unless the local factor gets involved. When ordinary people can see they have a stake in the fight the pieces of the jigsaw will fall in their places on their own. And once they get involved with this kind of issue it’s hard for the villains to defeat the cause.