Jahangirnagar University students staged a human chain demanding cancellation of a proposed road through Cox’s Bazar’s Madhushia Garjan Forest, warning of irreversible damage to elephant habitats and biodiversity.
Students of Jahangirnagar University on Monday formed a human chain demanding the cancellation of a proposed road construction project through the Madhushia Garjan Forest in Cox’s Bazar, a coastal district in south-eastern Bangladesh that is home to the world’s longest natural sea beach and a key habitat for endangered Asian elephants. They warned that the project would threaten one of the country’s important forest ecosystems and an international elephant corridor.
The demonstration was held at around 5:00 pm at the university’s Central Shaheed Minar premises. Students from different departments joined the programme where a puppet show highlighting the importance of forest and wildlife conservation was also staged.
Speaking at the event, Environmental Sciences student Suntas Jahan Nabila said the forest, once home to freely roaming elephants, is now facing destruction.
“The construction of a road through the middle of the forest is fragmenting the habitat, a process known in environmental science as habitat fragmentation. It is disrupting ecological balance and restricting the natural movement and expansion of wildlife,” she said.
Another Environmental Sciences student, Aritra Sattar, said Bangladesh’s elephant population has declined significantly.
“Wildlife is protected under the Constitution. Therefore, any activity in wildlife habitats that undermines conservation goes against constitutional principles. The proposed road through the elephants’ habitat will encourage further human settlement in the area. It will eventually fail to meet growing human demands and create even more environmental problems. Building permanent infrastructure by destroying Bangladesh’s natural resources is not desirable,” he said.
Law and Justice student Syeda Anannya Faria said Bangladesh’s forests are facing a severe crisis.
“More than 700,000 trees and 26 hills have already been destroyed, causing serious damage to Asian elephant corridors and breeding grounds. In recent years, almost every wild elephant that died in the country lost its life due to poaching, illegal electric traps or other human-induced causes. Even after death, their tusks and nails were trafficked,” she said.
She described the proposed road through the Madhushia Garjan Forest in Cox’s Bazar, a city, fishing port, tourism centre and the headquarters of Cox’s Bazar District and Cox’s Bazar Sadar Upazila in south-eastern Bangladesh, as one of the greatest current threats to the country’s forest ecosystem.
“We want to stop this destruction at any cost. In solidarity with nature lovers across the country, students of Jahangirnagar University have gathered today. Through the puppet show, we are also portraying the crisis facing Bangladesh’s forests and wildlife,” she added.
