The Advisory Council has approved two landmark ordinances relating to Bangladesh’s forest, biodiversity, and wildlife protection. The approval was given at a meeting held at the Chief Adviser’s Office on Thursday.
The ordinances to be approved were “Forest and Tree Conservation Ordinance, 2025” and “Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Ordinance, 2025.”
According to a statement released 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 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 Ministry’s statement said.
The Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Ordinance, 2025, on the other hand, has been introduced due to the challenges of implementing the Wildlife Act, 2012 and evolving international obligations. The new ordinance strictly prohibits and penalises wildlife poaching, killing, trafficking, and commercial use and 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, the statement further said. In addition, the ordinance encourages participation of experts, local communities, academic institutions, and volunteer organisations.
Environment and Forest Adviser 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.
