City Desk :
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan on Wednesday said the conservation of elephants requires the protection of their natural habitats.
She stated that planting elephant-friendly trees, identifying and preserving elephant corridors, conducting surveys to determine the exact elephant population, and taking effective measures to reduce human-elephant conflict are now urgent priorities, reports BSS.
Speaking as the chief guest at a discussion organised on the occasion of World Elephant Day 2025 at the Forest Department headquarters (Bon Bhaban), the environment adviser further said controlling captive elephants, raising awareness among rural communities, and ensuring sustainable habitats for elephants are essential too.
She announced that a special project has been undertaken for elephant conservation.
Under this project, 350 hectares of elephant food plantations and 50 hectares of bamboo groves will be established, with adequate protection of the planted vegetation, she said.
Rizwana also said to mitigate human-elephant conflict, ecological boundary bio-fencing will be constructed, including 10 kilometers of live fencing with thorny plants such as cane, lemon, and jujube.
In addition, “Anti-Depredation Squads (ADS), Elephant Response Teams (ERT), and Elephant Rescue Teams (ERT)” will be formed near Elephant Reserves to strengthen conservation activities, she said.
She said sixteen tree towers will be built to monitor elephant movements, while two elephant rescue centers will be established-one at Gazipur Safari Park and the other at Dulahazara Safari Park in Cox’s Bazar.
She further informed that temporary shelters will be built in Sylhet, Chattogram, Rangamati, and Sherpur regions for treating injured elephants.
Moreover, anthropogenic impacts and the effects of climate change on human-elephant conflict will be assessed, along with ethnographic surveys, Rizwana said.
She said a ten-acre elephant sanctuary will also be established at Chunati in Chattogram for the rehabilitation of domesticated elephants.
The event was presided over by Md. Amir Hosain Chowdhury, Chief Conservator of Forests.
