2 Landmark Ordinances Passed to Strengthen Forest & Wildlife Protection

Sundarbans biodiversity

Dhaka, 4 December: Two landmark ordinances relating to Bangladesh’s forest, biodiversity, and wildlife protection were passed today. The approval was given at the meeting of the Adviser Council held at the office of the Chief Adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, in Tejgaon, Dhaka. The ordinances are titled “Forest and Tree Conservation Ordinance, 2025” and “Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Ordinance, 2025.”

The Forest Act of 1927, which has guided forest management for nearly a century, is no longer adequate considering current environmental challenges, climate change impacts, population growth, urban expansion, illegal encroachment, and forest degradation. To address these issues, the new Forest and Tree Conservation Ordinance, 2025 has been formulated. The ordinance incorporates provisions for natural forest protection, securing forest boundaries and records, safeguarding traditional rights of ethnic minority communities, preventing illegal encroachment through advanced monitoring systems, restoring degraded forests, controlling invasive species, and updating lists of protected and permissible tree species.

The Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Ordinance, 2025 has been introduced due to implementation challenges of the Wildlife Act, 2012 and evolving international obligations. The new ordinance strictly prohibits and penalizes wildlife poaching, killing, trafficking, and commercial use. It ensures protection of wildlife habitats, provides special safeguards for endangered species, and outlines measures for wildlife rescue, treatment, rehabilitation, scientific research, training, awareness building, and promoting humane coexistence between humans and wildlife. It also proposes the establishment of a Wildlife Trust Fund to support these initiatives. In addition, the ordinance encourages participation of experts, local communities, academic institutions, and volunteer organizations.

Adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change Syeda Rizwana Hasan stated that the passage of these two ordinances marks a transformative step in protecting Bangladesh’s forest resources, biodiversity, and wildlife. She expressed that these legal reforms will strengthen ecological safeguards and contribute to ensuring a healthier natural environment for future generations. – PID Handout