New Nation | 06 December 2022

For centuries, humans have been interfering with the world’s natural ecosystem. As humans traveled and settled in different parts of the world in the modern era, they cleared land for farming, cut forests for shipbuilding, and began hunting and trapping for money. Wildlife hunting and poaching became more common over time, and wildlife populations began to decline around the world. According to World Wildlife Fund (WWF)’s Living Planet Report 2017, global wildlife populations have declined by 58 per cent between 1970 and 2012. INTERPOL, on the other hand, estimates that the international illegal wildlife trade is worth between $10 and $20 billion USD per year.
The loss of and threats to biodiversity have elevated to issues of global concern over the last few decades. Bangladesh is part of the Indo-Burma region, which has 7,000 endemic plant species and is one of the ten global hotspots for biodiversity. Bangladesh has a diverse wildlife, with approximately 113 mammal species and over 628 bird species. 126 species of reptiles, 22 species of amphibians, 708 species of marine and freshwater fish, 2,493 species of insects, 19 species of mites, 164 species of algae (or seaweed), and 4 species of echinoderms. Bangladesh’s biodiversity situation has deteriorated day by day, owing to high population pressure and extreme poverty.
Information on Bangladesh’s actual forest area is conflicting. The Bangladesh Forest Department and other sources estimate that forests cover about 2.53 million ha, or approximately 17.5 per cent of the nation’s total surface area, but FAO’s FRA-2005 estimates that the total area of forests is only about 0.87 million ha. Officially, the Forest Department is responsible for managing the nation’s 1.53 million hectares of forest land.
Plants and animals have life events that seem to happen every year like clockwork. Birds and mammals can migrate, flowers bloom, and leaves change color. During winter season many birds migrates to Bangladesh. Species use predictable yearly climate changes to determine when they begin natural events like breeding or flowering. Average annual temperatures are gradually rising as a result of climate change. One of the most visible effects of climate change on wildlife is the disruption of natural event timing. Warmer temperatures cause flowering plants to bloom earlier in the year, and migratory birds to return earlier in the spring from their wintering grounds. Phenology is an important field of study for conservationists because it helps us understand the patterns of specific species as well as the overall health of ecosystems. The climate change affecting the phenology widely but as we don’t have enough research paper and monitoring process, we are failing to measure the exact uncertainty that roaming on biodiversity.   
Every species has an impact on each other in its food chain and community, and the timing of one species’ phenological events can be critical to another species’ survival. Adding more, animals consume more than just energy when they eat their prey. Pollutants are sometimes ingested by animals and stored in their fat and tissues. Human-caused pollution has contaminated the environment with heavy metals, oil, and industrial and pharmaceutical chemicals. Toxins are absorbed by plants, fish, and other species, and are then consumed by predators. Toxins become more concentrated and move higher and higher up the food web as the predator-prey chain continues up the food web. Bioaccumulation refers to the process by which the concentration of a substance increases as it moves up the food chain. Pollutants have the potential to destroy the food web and kill species and impacts adversely on human health. The increasing pollution in Dhaka and other cities are disturbing the natural phenomenon of plants and animals.  
The Bangladesh government issued the Wildlife (Preservations) Order, 1973, which was later enacted as the Bangladesh Wildlife (Preservation) Act, 1973. Following that, in order to ensure the safety and conservation of forests, wildlife, and biodiversity, the National Parliament enacted another Act in 2012, namely the Wildlife (Preservation and Security) Act, which repealed the previous enactment. At the moment, this legislation serves as the supreme legal document for wildlife and biodiversity conservation in Bangladesh. Last year in 2021, 34 elephants were killed in Bangladesh for illegal purposes which remind us that these laws and acts couldn’t stop the murderers from killing those innocent elephants. So, it needs to be more strong rules and regulation to apply and monitoring to protect and conserve our wildlife from the tiger in the forest to the stray dog on the road.
Forest Department is responsible for preservation, conservation and management of Wildlife in the country. Though several areas are protected under law, a large portion of Bangladeshi wildlife is threatened by several factors. Sadly, even today, there is an increase in the illegal trade of endangered species on the black market. Not all species are safe from poachers and hunters, despite the best efforts of governments around the world, which have had some success in doing so. Climate change, deforestation, over population and illicit trade thrives, which has an impact on both the wildlife and their quality of life. Therefore, it is imperative that we take action to protect and preserve wildlife in order to ensure their continued existence.