Lawachara National Park
Encyclopedia
Lawachara National Park is a major national park
and nature reserve
in Bangladesh
. The park is located at Kamalganj Upazila
, Maulvi Bazar District in the northeastern region of the country. It is located within the 2740 ha (27.4 km²) West Bhanugach Reserved Forest.
Lawachara National Park covers approximately 1250 ha (12.5 km²) of semi-evergreen forest
s of the Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests
Biome
and mixed deciduous forests of the Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Biome. The land was declared a national park by the Bangladesh government on July 7, 1996 under the Wildlife Act of 1974.
and 60 km (37.3 mi) from Sylhet
. It is 8 kilometres (5 mi) from the town of Srimongal
.
The terrain of Lawachara is undulating with scattered 10 to 50 m (32.8 to 164 ft) hillocks. Locally known as tila, the hillocks are primarily composed of Upper Tertiary soft sandstone
. The park is crossed by numerous sandy-bedded streams (locally known as nallah), one of which is the Lawachara tributary
, from which the park derived its name. The soil of Lawachara is alluvial brown sandy clay loam to clay loam dating from the Pliocene
epoch
. Shallow depressions filled with water (haor
wetlands) are also a feature of the region as the low-lying areas are often subject to flooding.
The climate
of Lawachara is generally pleasant to warm, averaging at 26.8 °C (80.2 °F) in February
to 36.1 °C (97 °F) in June
. The humidity
is high throughout the year, and Lawachara experiences frequent rains with occasional cyclonic storms.
species, 6 reptile species, 246 bird species, 20 mammal
species, and 17 insect
species. One of this is the critically endangered western hoolock gibbon
s, of which only 62 individuals remain in the area.
usually composed of evergreen
s, including Quercus , Syzygium
, Gmelina
, Dillenia
, Grewia
, and Ficus
. The upper canopy, meanwhile, is mainly composed of tall deciduous trees including Tectona
, Artocarpus chaplasha, Tetrameles, Hopea odorata
. Toona ciliata
, and Pygenum. The original indigenous
mixed tropical evergreen vegetation had been removed or replaced in the 1920's. It is now mostly secondary forest
with small remnant areas of rich primary forest. In the undergrowth
are bamboo
groves of jai bansh (Bambusa burmanica) and muli bansh (Melocanna baccifera), as well as several fern
species and other epiphyte
s.
159 plant species
belonging to 123 genera
and 60 families
were studied in 2010. It includes 78 species of trees, 14 species of shrub
s, 42 species of herb
s, and 25 species of climbers
. Ficus
(fig trees) and Syzygium
(brush cherries), each with 7 species, were the most diverse genera. Other notable genera include Terminalia
, Dioscorea
(yams), Artocarpus
, Calamus (rattan palm), Piper
(pepper vines), Alpinia
, and Curcuma
. Threatened indigenous plant species include Bridelia retusa, Zanthoxylum rhetsa, Alstonia scholaris
, Phyllanthus emblica, Cassia fistula, Orexylum indicum, Semocarpus anacardium, and Garuga pinnata.
Mammals found in Lawachara include slow loris
es (Nycticebus), the Northern pig-tailed macaque
s (Macaca leonina), rhesus macaque
s (Macaca mulatta), Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis), capped langur
s (Trachypithecus pileatus), Phayre's leaf monkey
s (Trachypithecus phayrei), western hoolock gibbon
s (Hoolock hoolock), golden jackal
s (Canis aureus), Dhole
s (Cuon alpinus), Asian black bears (Ursus thibetanus), yellow-throated martens (Martes flavigula), tiger
s (Panthera tigris), leopard
s (Panthera pardus), fishing cat
s (Prionailurus viverrinus), leopard cat
s (Prionailurus bengalensis), wild pigs (Sus scrofa), sambar (Rusa unicolor), barking deer (Muntiacus), and Indian giant squirrel
s (Ratufa indica).
The western hoolock gibbon
(Hoolock hoolock) is a higher primate found in Bangladesh
. It is one of the top 25 most endangered primates
and one of the six non-human primate species found in Lawachara. In a census in 2007, only 62 individuals in 17 groups were found in Lawachara and in the greater West Bhanugach Reserved Forest. Yet this is the biggest surviving gibbon population in Bangladesh. The Lawachara population is considered of ciritical importance as it is likely to be the last viable population of western hoolock gibbons that will survive into the next century.
Khasia people, the Hindu
Tripuri people, the Tipra people, and the Monipuri people. The rest of the population are mostly Muslim
migrants from Noakhali
, Comilla
, and Assam
.
Registered forest villagers have certain rights within the reserve. This includes wood collection for fuel and building materials, hunting, betel leaf production, grazing of livestock, harvesting of other forest products, and limited agriculture in allocated land.
In 2008, the Bangladesh government permitted the U.S.-based international Chevron Corporation
(petroleum) to conduct a 3D seismic exploration in the Lawachara National Park. Chevron claims to give "utmost priority in protecting the biodiversity of the area". Field crews are instructed to avoid drilling shot holes near threatened plant species or areas of wildlife activity. Environmentalist
s, however, argued that the survey will have a long term adverse impact on the forest.
Environmental impacts
Explosions, conducted in Lawachara as a part of Chevron's survey, are claimed to frighten wildlife, making them leave the forest at an alarming rate. In May 7, 2008, a hoolock gibbon, in an attempt to flee, allegedly died after jumping onto an electric cable. Damage to residential buildings from the tremors induced by the explosions were also reported, as well as a fire caused by activities of the survey crew. Chevron failed to acknowledge both incidents.
Chevron's seismic exploration follows in the wake of the Magurchara gas field explosion on June 14, 1997, which destroyed 700 acre (2.8 km²; 1.1 sq mi) of the West Bhanugach Reserved Forest. Gas exploration in the area was then led by the Union Oil Company of California (Unocal), now a subsidiary of Chevron.
Responses
The survey has also been strongly criticized for violating the municipal laws of Bangladesh on wildlife conservation. It has been noted that the environmental impact monitoring team of the survey (including representatives from IUCN Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyer Association, and the Nishorgo project), formed in response to public concern, were all funded by Chevron. Lawachara is also mostly maintained by the Nishorgo project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID). The Nishorgo project has been accused of being more concerned with international corporate economic interests by letting Chevron into the very areas they were supposed to protect.
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
and nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. The park is located at Kamalganj Upazila
Kamalganj Upazila
Kamalganj is an Upazila of Maulvibazar District in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh.-Geography:Kamalganj is located at . It has 37112 units of house hold and total area 485.26 km².-Demographics:...
, Maulvi Bazar District in the northeastern region of the country. It is located within the 2740 ha (27.4 km²) West Bhanugach Reserved Forest.
Lawachara National Park covers approximately 1250 ha (12.5 km²) of semi-evergreen forest
Evergreen forest
An temperate evergreen forest is a forest consisting entirely or mainly of evergreen trees that retain green foliage all year round. Such forests exist in the tropics primarily as broadleaf evergreens, and in temperate and boreal latitudes primarily as coniferous evergreens.-Tropical evergreen...
s of the Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests
Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests
Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests are a forest biome. They are located in regions of semi-humid climate at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Most tropical and subtropical coniferous forest ecoregions are found in the Nearctic and Neotropic ecozones, from Mexico to Nicaragua and on the...
Biome
Biome
Biomes are climatically and geographically defined as similar climatic conditions on the Earth, such as communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, and are often referred to as ecosystems. Some parts of the earth have more or less the same kind of abiotic and biotic factors spread over a...
and mixed deciduous forests of the Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , also known as tropical moist forests, are a tropical and subtropical forest biome....
Biome. The land was declared a national park by the Bangladesh government on July 7, 1996 under the Wildlife Act of 1974.
Geography and climate
Lawachara is about 160 km (99.4 mi) northeast of DhakaDhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
and 60 km (37.3 mi) from Sylhet
Sylhet
Sylhet , is a major city in north-eastern Bangladesh. It is the main city of Sylhet Division and Sylhet District, and was granted metropolitan city status in March 2009. Sylhet is located on the banks of the Surma Valley and is surrounded by the Jaintia, Khasi and Tripura hills...
. It is 8 kilometres (5 mi) from the town of Srimongal
Sreemangal Upazila
Srimangal is an Upazila of Maulvibazar District in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh.-Geography:Sreemangal is located at . It has 43,952 units of house hold and total area 450.74 km²....
.
The terrain of Lawachara is undulating with scattered 10 to 50 m (32.8 to 164 ft) hillocks. Locally known as tila, the hillocks are primarily composed of Upper Tertiary soft sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
. The park is crossed by numerous sandy-bedded streams (locally known as nallah), one of which is the Lawachara tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
, from which the park derived its name. The soil of Lawachara is alluvial brown sandy clay loam to clay loam dating from the Pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
epoch
Epoch (geology)
An epoch is a subdivision of the geologic timescale based on rock layering. In order, the higher subdivisions are periods, eras and eons. We are currently living in the Holocene epoch...
. Shallow depressions filled with water (haor
Haor
A haor is a wetland ecosystem in the north eastern part of Bangladesh which physically is a bowl or saucer shaped shallow depression, also known as a backswamp...
wetlands) are also a feature of the region as the low-lying areas are often subject to flooding.
The climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
of Lawachara is generally pleasant to warm, averaging at 26.8 °C (80.2 °F) in February
February
February is the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the shortest month and the only month with fewer than 30 days. The month has 28 days in common years and 29 days in leap years...
to 36.1 °C (97 °F) in June
June
June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and one of the four months with a length of 30 days. Ovid provides two etymologies for June's name in his poem concerning the months entitled the Fasti...
. The humidity
Humidity
Humidity is a term for the amount of water vapor in the air, and can refer to any one of several measurements of humidity. Formally, humid air is not "moist air" but a mixture of water vapor and other constituents of air, and humidity is defined in terms of the water content of this mixture,...
is high throughout the year, and Lawachara experiences frequent rains with occasional cyclonic storms.
Biodiversity
Biological diversity in the Lawachara National Park consists of 460 species, of which 167 species are plants, 4 amphibianAmphibian
Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...
species, 6 reptile species, 246 bird species, 20 mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
species, and 17 insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
species. One of this is the critically endangered western hoolock gibbon
Western Hoolock Gibbon
The western hoolock gibbon is a primate from the Hylobatidae family. The species is found in Assam, Bangladesh and in Myanmar west of the Chindwin River.-Classification:...
s, of which only 62 individuals remain in the area.
Flora
The forest of Lawachara is of a mixed type, with the understoryUnderstory
Understory is the term for the area of a forest which grows at the lowest height level below the forest canopy. Plants in the understory consist of a mixture of seedlings and saplings of canopy trees together with understory shrubs and herbs...
usually composed of evergreen
Evergreen forest
An temperate evergreen forest is a forest consisting entirely or mainly of evergreen trees that retain green foliage all year round. Such forests exist in the tropics primarily as broadleaf evergreens, and in temperate and boreal latitudes primarily as coniferous evergreens.-Tropical evergreen...
s, including Quercus , Syzygium
Syzygium
Syzygium is a genus of flowering plants that belongs to the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. The genus comprises about 1100 species, and has a native range that extends from Africa and Madagascar through southern Asia east through the Pacific...
, Gmelina
Gmelina
Gmelina is a genus of plant in family Lamiaceae. It was named in honour of botanist Johann Georg Gmelin.Species include:* Gmelina arborea* Gmelina asiatica* Gmelina fasciculiflora - Northern White Beech, Australia...
, Dillenia
Dillenia
Dillenia is a genus of about 100 species of flowering plants in the family Dilleniaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of southern Asia, Australasia, and the Indian Ocean islands....
, Grewia
Grewia
The large flowering plant genus Grewia is today placed by most authors in the mallow family Malvaceae, in the expanded sense as proposed by in the APG. Formerly, it was placed in either the linden family or the Sparrmanniaceae...
, and Ficus
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
. The upper canopy, meanwhile, is mainly composed of tall deciduous trees including Tectona
Tectona
Tectona is a genus of tropical hardwood trees in the mint family, Lamiaceae. The three species, often collectively called teak, are native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Indonesia and Thailand, and are commonly found as a component of monsoon forest vegetation...
, Artocarpus chaplasha, Tetrameles, Hopea odorata
Hopea odorata
Hopea odorata, or takian, is a species of plant in the Dipterocarpaceae family. It is found in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. In Thailand it is believed to be inhabited by a spirit, Lady Takian....
. Toona ciliata
Toona ciliata
Australian Red Cedar , Toona ciliata is a forest tree in the family Meliaceae which grows throughout southern Asia from Afghanistan to Papua New Guinea and Australia. In Australia its natural habitat is now extensively cleared subtropical rainforests of New South Wales and Queensland...
, and Pygenum. The original indigenous
Indigenous (ecology)
In biogeography, a species is defined as native to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention. Every natural organism has its own natural range of distribution in which it is regarded as native...
mixed tropical evergreen vegetation had been removed or replaced in the 1920's. It is now mostly secondary forest
Secondary forest
A secondary forest is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a major disturbance such as fire, insect infestation, timber harvest or windthrow, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident...
with small remnant areas of rich primary forest. In the undergrowth
Undergrowth
Undergrowth usually refers to the vegetation in a forest, which can obstruct passage through the forest. The height of undergrowth is usually considered to be 0.3 – 3 m . Undergrowth can also refer all vegetation in a forest, which isn't in the canopy....
are bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
groves of jai bansh (Bambusa burmanica) and muli bansh (Melocanna baccifera), as well as several fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
species and other epiphyte
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
s.
159 plant species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
belonging to 123 genera
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
and 60 families
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
were studied in 2010. It includes 78 species of trees, 14 species of shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s, 42 species of herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
s, and 25 species of climbers
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
. Ficus
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
(fig trees) and Syzygium
Syzygium
Syzygium is a genus of flowering plants that belongs to the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. The genus comprises about 1100 species, and has a native range that extends from Africa and Madagascar through southern Asia east through the Pacific...
(brush cherries), each with 7 species, were the most diverse genera. Other notable genera include Terminalia
Terminalia (plant)
Terminalia is a genus of large trees of the flowering plant family Combretaceae, comprising around 100 species distributed in tropical regions of the world. This genus gets it name from Latin terminus, referring to the fact that the leaves appear at the very tips of the shoots.Trees of this genus...
, Dioscorea
Dioscorea
Dioscorea is a genus of over 600 species of flowering plants in the family Dioscoreaceae, native throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions of the world. The vast majority of the species are tropical, with only a few species extending into temperate climates...
(yams), Artocarpus
Artocarpus
Artocarpus is a genus of about 60 trees of Southeast Asian origin and the Pacific, belonging to the mulberry family, Moraceae.-Description:...
, Calamus (rattan palm), Piper
Piper (genus)
Piper, the pepper plants or pepper vines , are an economically and ecologically important genus in the family Piperaceae...
(pepper vines), Alpinia
Alpinia
Alpinia is a genus of plants, with more than 230 species from the Ginger family . It is named for Prospero Alpini, a 17th-century Italian botanist who specialized in exotic plants.-Description:...
, and Curcuma
Curcuma
Curcuma is a genus of about 80 accepted species in the plant family Zingiberaceae that contains such species as turmeric and Siam Tulip. The name comes from Arabic kurkum meaning "turmeric". Since assembly of the genus Curcuma by Linnaeus in 1753 about 130 species have been described so far...
. Threatened indigenous plant species include Bridelia retusa, Zanthoxylum rhetsa, Alstonia scholaris
Alstonia scholaris
Alstonia scholaris Alstonia scholaris Alstonia scholaris (Apocynaceae, commonly called Blackboard tree, Indian devil tree, Ditabark, Milkwood pine, White cheesewood and Pulai; syn. Echites scholaris L. Mant., Pala scholaris L...
, Phyllanthus emblica, Cassia fistula, Orexylum indicum, Semocarpus anacardium, and Garuga pinnata.
Fauna
Slow loris
Slow lorises are a group of five species of strepsirrhine primates which make up the genus Nycticebus. Found in South and Southeast Asia, they range from Northeast India in the west to the Philippines in the east, and from the Yunnan province in China in the north to the island of Java in the south...
es (Nycticebus), the Northern pig-tailed macaque
Northern Pig-tailed Macaque
The northern pig-tailed macaque is a species of primate in the Cercopithecidae family. It is found in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Traditionally, it has been considered a subspecies of M. nemestrina...
s (Macaca leonina), rhesus macaque
Rhesus Macaque
The Rhesus macaque , also called the Rhesus monkey, is one of the best-known species of Old World monkeys. It is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and its tolerance of a broad range of habitats...
s (Macaca mulatta), Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis), capped langur
Capped Langur
The capped langur is a species of primate in the Cercopithecidae family. It is found in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, China, India, and Myanmar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests...
s (Trachypithecus pileatus), Phayre's leaf monkey
Phayre's Leaf Monkey
Phayre's leaf monkey , also known as Phayre's langur, is a species of lutung found in Southeast Asia. The species epithet commemorates Arthur Purves Phayre....
s (Trachypithecus phayrei), western hoolock gibbon
Western Hoolock Gibbon
The western hoolock gibbon is a primate from the Hylobatidae family. The species is found in Assam, Bangladesh and in Myanmar west of the Chindwin River.-Classification:...
s (Hoolock hoolock), golden jackal
Golden Jackal
The golden jackal , also known as the common jackal, Asiatic jackal, thos or gold-wolf is a Canid of the genus Canis indigenous to north and northeastern Africa, southeastern and central Europe , Asia Minor, the Middle East and southeast Asia...
s (Canis aureus), Dhole
Dhole
The dhole is a species of canid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the only extant member of the genus Cuon, which differs from Canis by the reduced number of molars and greater number of teats...
s (Cuon alpinus), Asian black bears (Ursus thibetanus), yellow-throated martens (Martes flavigula), tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
s (Panthera tigris), leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
s (Panthera pardus), fishing cat
Fishing Cat
The Fishing Cat is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. In 2008, the IUCN classified the fishing cat as endangered since they are concentrated primarily in wetland habitats, which are increasingly being settled, degraded and converted...
s (Prionailurus viverrinus), leopard cat
Leopard Cat
The leopard cat is a small wild cat of South and East Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as Least Concern by IUCN as it is widely distributed but threatened by habitat loss and hunting in parts of its range...
s (Prionailurus bengalensis), wild pigs (Sus scrofa), sambar (Rusa unicolor), barking deer (Muntiacus), and Indian giant squirrel
Indian Giant Squirrel
The Indian giant squirrel, or Malabar giant squirrel, is a large tree squirrel species genus Ratufa native to India. It is a large-bodied diurnal, arboreal, and herbivorous squirrel found in South Asia.-Description:...
s (Ratufa indica).
The western hoolock gibbon
Western Hoolock Gibbon
The western hoolock gibbon is a primate from the Hylobatidae family. The species is found in Assam, Bangladesh and in Myanmar west of the Chindwin River.-Classification:...
(Hoolock hoolock) is a higher primate found in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. It is one of the top 25 most endangered primates
The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates
The World's 25 Most Endangered Primates is a list of highly endangered primate species selected and published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission Primate Specialist Group , the International Primatological Society , and Conservation International...
and one of the six non-human primate species found in Lawachara. In a census in 2007, only 62 individuals in 17 groups were found in Lawachara and in the greater West Bhanugach Reserved Forest. Yet this is the biggest surviving gibbon population in Bangladesh. The Lawachara population is considered of ciritical importance as it is likely to be the last viable population of western hoolock gibbons that will survive into the next century.
Human population
There are about eighteen villages near Lawachara. Two of them (Magurchara punji and Lawachara punji) are located within the boundaries of the park. Indigenous peoples in the area include the ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Khasia people, the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
Tripuri people, the Tipra people, and the Monipuri people. The rest of the population are mostly Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
migrants from Noakhali
Noakhali District
Noakhali is a district in South-eastern Bangladesh. It is located in the Chittagong Division.-Geography:Noakhali District located in Chittagong Division, Bangladesh...
, Comilla
Comilla District
The district of Comilla consists 4543 mosques, 379 temples, 98 churches, 34 Buddhist temples and six tombs.-Places of interest:Important landmarks include Kotbari, a cantonment, or military installation and Kandirpar, considered the heart of the Comilla district...
, and Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
.
Registered forest villagers have certain rights within the reserve. This includes wood collection for fuel and building materials, hunting, betel leaf production, grazing of livestock, harvesting of other forest products, and limited agriculture in allocated land.
Chevron controversy
Seismic explorationsIn 2008, the Bangladesh government permitted the U.S.-based international Chevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...
(petroleum) to conduct a 3D seismic exploration in the Lawachara National Park. Chevron claims to give "utmost priority in protecting the biodiversity of the area". Field crews are instructed to avoid drilling shot holes near threatened plant species or areas of wildlife activity. Environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
s, however, argued that the survey will have a long term adverse impact on the forest.
Environmental impacts
Explosions, conducted in Lawachara as a part of Chevron's survey, are claimed to frighten wildlife, making them leave the forest at an alarming rate. In May 7, 2008, a hoolock gibbon, in an attempt to flee, allegedly died after jumping onto an electric cable. Damage to residential buildings from the tremors induced by the explosions were also reported, as well as a fire caused by activities of the survey crew. Chevron failed to acknowledge both incidents.
Chevron's seismic exploration follows in the wake of the Magurchara gas field explosion on June 14, 1997, which destroyed 700 acre (2.8 km²; 1.1 sq mi) of the West Bhanugach Reserved Forest. Gas exploration in the area was then led by the Union Oil Company of California (Unocal), now a subsidiary of Chevron.
Responses
The survey has also been strongly criticized for violating the municipal laws of Bangladesh on wildlife conservation. It has been noted that the environmental impact monitoring team of the survey (including representatives from IUCN Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyer Association, and the Nishorgo project), formed in response to public concern, were all funded by Chevron. Lawachara is also mostly maintained by the Nishorgo project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development
United States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...
(USAID). The Nishorgo project has been accused of being more concerned with international corporate economic interests by letting Chevron into the very areas they were supposed to protect.
See also
- Bhawal National ParkBhawal National ParkBhawal National Park was established and maintained as a National Park in 1974; it was officially declared in 1982 under the Wildlife Act of 1974. It is located in Gazipur, Dhaka Division of Bangladesh, approximately 40 km north of Dhaka city, only 20km drive from Gazipur and 20 km from Kapasia...
- Satchari National ParkSatchari National ParkSatchari National Park is a national park in Habiganj District, Bangladesh. After the 1974 Wild Life Preservation Act, in 2005 Satchari National Park was built on 243 hector land. Literally 'Satchari' in Bengali means 'Seven Streams'...
- List of protected areas of Bangladesh
- Madhupur tractMadhupur tractMadhupur tract a large upland area of 4,244 km² in north central of Bangladesh, stretching from east of Jamalpur in the north, to Fatullah and Narayanganj, in the south. The tract is mostly one large tract, unlike the Barind Tract. It is approximately one to ten metres above the nearby...
- Nijhum DwipNijhum DwipNijhum Dwip means, Silent Island is a small island under Hatiya upazila. It is situated in Noakhali District in Bangladesh. Once it was called as Char Osman-History:...
- SundarbansSundarbansThe Sundarbans [Sundarban Tour Booking-9051115228] is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world.The name Sundarban can be literally translated as "beautiful jungle" or "beautiful forest" in the Bengali language...
External links
- Bangladesh drafts poachers to protect forest
- Lawachara National Park: Safe home for endangered animals
- Great Ape Conservation Fund
- Renewable Energy and Environmental Information Network (REEIN) webpage
- World WildLife Advantures Webpage
- Lawachara National Park: information and GPS trace of the 30 minutes jungle trail