Dhaka: Two landmark ordinances relating to Bangladesh’s forest, biodiversity, and wildlife conservation have been approved. The approval was given at the meeting of the Council of Advisers held at the Chief Adviser’s Office today.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the ordinances are titled “Forest and Tree Conservation Ordinance, 2025” and “Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Ordinance, 2025,” as announced in a press release by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The Forest Act of 1927, which has guided forest management for nearly a century, is no longer considered adequate due to 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. This ordinance includes 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 to address implementation challenges of the Wildlife Act, 2012 and evolving international obligations. This new ordinance strictly prohibits and penalizes wildlife poaching, killing, trafficking, and commercial use. It ensures the 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 coexistence between humans and wildlife. It also proposes the establishment of a Wildlife Trust Fund to support these initiatives. In addition, the ordinance encourages the participation of experts, local communities, academic institutions, and volunteer organizations.
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan stated that the passage of the two ordinances marks a transformative step in protecting Bangladesh’s forest resources, biodiversity, and wildlife. She expressed that these legal reforms would strengthen ecological safeguards and contribute to ensuring a healthier natural environment for future generations.