The world’s largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, reopened its doors on Tuesday to visitors and forest-dependent workers following a 90-day closure designed to facilitate fish propagation and safeguard the region’s rich ecological system.
The resumption of access has delivered much-needed financial respite to thousands of local households whose livelihoods, tied directly or indirectly to the forest, had been suspended during the three-month restriction.
In adjacent villages and upazilas, fishermen and other forest-reliant labourers have completed their preparations, securing the required official passes and permits to resume harvesting crabs and fish.
This imminent return to the forest has generated notable excitement across nearby fishing settlements and river ghats.
Local workers have been busy restoring damaged nets, applying fresh tar to their wooden vessels, servicing trawler engines, and gathering the necessary gear for crab catching.
Despite the economic relief, significant safety anxieties persist among the forest-reliant population. Many have expressed deep concerns regarding potential extortion, physical harassment, and kidnappings by active forest gangs.
Additionally, community members point out that the official government registry significantly underestimates the true volume of people who rely on the Sundarbans for survival.
With no steady income during the ban, many households are now under intense pressure to service outstanding debts. The annual restriction is strategically timed during the monsoon breeding cycle to allow aquatic species to multiply and to allow the forest’s delicate habitat to recover.
Over the past three months, these vulnerable families were forced to seek out temporary, alternative jobs to survive.
Concurrently, operators of tourist vessels, including passenger ships and launches, have finalised their preparations to resume voyages, marking a return to business for one of the nation’s premier travel hotspots.
Evaluating the outcome of the seasonal closure, Khulna Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Hasanur Rahman reported that the three-month human-free window had yielded substantial benefits for the local environment.
“With public entry completely halted for three months, the forest’s plant life has flourished significantly, and we have observed a marked rise in the populations of deer, birds, and other wildlife species,” DFO Rahman remarked.
He further highlighted that fish stocks within the canals and rivers traversing the Sundarbans had expanded notably over this period.
While the reopening is set to reignite economic activity across the tourism, fishing, and crab-harvesting sectors, the Forest Department will strictly maintain its regulatory oversight through the established pass-and-permit protocol.
According to official statistics from the Forest Department, the Sundarbans accrued Tk6,75,81,291 in total revenue during 2025-26 fiscal year, reflecting a decrease from the Tk7,57,17,994.97 collected in 2024-25 fiscal year.
