Mymensingh Ecopark Declaration Sparks Eviction Fears Among Locals
Locals near the Santoshpur forest in Phulbaria upazila express eviction concerns following an August 3 ministry notification declaring forest land an ecopark. Officials maintain that community rights will be preserved during the implementation.
On August 3, a notification issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change officially declared forest land in Santoshpur mouza as an ecopark. This decision has created widespread eviction anxiety among local residents living near the Santoshpur forest, located in Phulbaria upazila of Mymensingh.
The total forest land across three mouzas—Santoshpur, Krishnapur, and Rangamatia under Phulbaria's Naogaon union—amounts to 3,659.14 acres. Historically, this area comprised roughly three and a half thousand acres of sal and gazari forest, though only 50 acres of the natural sal forest currently survive today.
Land allocation and usage within the area include 1,361 acres officially designated for a rubber garden, though the rubber garden actually spans approximately 700 acres. Additional land uses include roughly 700 acres under the Sufal project plantation, about 40 acres of agar plantation, and 150 acres of formerly encroached forest land. Authorities have successfully recovered 112 acres of land from encroachment over the past two years.
Legal enforcement concerning illegal activities includes a total of 42 cases filed on charges of tree felling and forest land occupation, with 34 of those cases initiated over the last two years. Meanwhile, agricultural products generated from the area support approximately 300 crore takas in annual economic activity.
Approximately one and a half thousand people are connected as partners in various social forestry activities within the Santoshpur forest range. Suleman Mia, one of the local participants, voiced his concerns regarding the new designation, stating, "The government has made us partners for a 40-year term. Alongside looking after the trees, we run our families by cultivating crops in the forest. I am worried whether this arrangement will be stopped if an ecopark is established."
Gouranga Chandra Barman, another local resident, recalled the diminishing wildlife in the region, noting, "I have seen wild boars, jackals, monkeys, and langurs. I have also heard tales of tigers. Now, nothing else is seen except a few jackals and monkeys."
Addressing the community's concerns, Kazi Mohammad Nurul Karim remarked, "Local people have been made partners in social forestry. Development work will be carried out taking them along." Mo. Kamrulan Hasan further reassured residents, stating, "The ecopark will be implemented with the local residents and by preserving their rights. The propaganda that they will be harmed is not correct." Other figures noted in connection with the region include Mohammad Emdadul হক, Nur Mohammad, and M. A. Faruk.
