Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo on Saturday said developing elephant sanctuaries and promoting elephant-based tourism could significantly reduce human-elephant conflict in Bangladesh.
He made the remarks after a meeting with Elephant Response Teams (ERTs), media representatives and elephant conservation workers at Madhutila Eco Park in Nalitabari of Sherpur.
The minister said the government was exploring opportunities to establish new parks alongside existing Eco Park.
“We are assessing whether more parks can be established in addition to the existing ones to boost domestic production and income through tourism,” he said.
Mintoo said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was deeply committed to protecting the environment and biodiversity.
“The prime minister is very sincere about environmental and biodiversity conservation, which has made our work easier. I thank him for that,” he said.
The minister also said Bangladesh had submitted a proposal under a bilateral agreement with India to reopen six elephant movement corridors along the Bangladesh-India border.
A bilateral meeting on the proposal is expected within the next three to four months, he added.
Sherpur Deputy Commissioner Farida Yasmin chaired the meeting, attended by Sherpur-2 lawmaker Mohammad Fahim Chowdhury, Chief Conservator of Forests Amir Hossain Chowdhury and Conservator of Forests Sanaullah Patwary as special guests.
Following the meeting, the minister distributed compensation cheques totalling Tk16.65 lakh among people affected by elephant attacks.
He also handed over light torches and other elephant-deterrent equipment to 32 Elephant Response Teams.
Earlier, Mintoo inspected elephant movement corridors in the Garo Hills and distributed compensation to affected residents after attending a meeting in Jhenaigati upazila.
