Host and Refugee communities of Cox’s Bazar Celebrate the World Wildlife Day 2020

To mark this year’s World Wildlife Day with the theme ‘Sustaining All Life on Earth’, IUCN Bangladesh and UNHCR organized a student-led art competition, rally, and wildlife photo exhibition in the camp together with Rohingya volunteers to make people in the camp more aware about wildlife conservation and protection. With support from Bangladesh Forest Department, a seminar was also organized with involvement of the host community in Whykhong region of Teknaf where keynote presentation on wildlife protection was made by IUCN’s Species Survival Commission member and Professor of Jahangirnagar University, Dr. M. Abdul Aziz. He presented the status, threats as well as importance of wildlife conservation in Bangladesh and the global perspective of such conservation. Members of the Bangladesh Forest Department, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner’s office (RRRC), Site Management Agencies, UNHCR, and other agencies attended the event and emphasized on wildlife conservation in a refugee context.

“Communities are the custodians of forest and wildlife in this region along with Bangladesh Forest Department and without their support it is impossible to conserve the wildlife and forest”, said Mr. Abdullah Al Mamun, Assistant Conservator of Forest of Bangladesh Forest Department.

At the art competition, 80 school students of the Rohingya camp participated and sketched their thoughts on wildlife conservation. The top 12 pictures were selected to receive awards from the Camps in Charge of RRRC. A rally with colorful banner, festoon and placard with the participation of Elephant Response Team volunteers and plantation watchers, children, UNHCR and camp level actors was also organized.

The wildlife photo exhibition displayed the threatened mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterfly and birds of the region to demonstrate importance of wildlife around refugee camps. Besides, rescued wild animals from different Rohingya camps, animals died from road accidents and attacks of people in the camps, and the children’s thought in art were displayed at the exhibition. Thousands of visitors joined different events of the day and became aware about the importance of wildlife conservation in a refugee context.

“This type of event will increase the awareness at the community level and such events need to continue for the protection of wildlife”, said by Mr. Md. Mahfuzar Rahman, the Camp in Charge of RRRC.

Mohammad Abdul Motaleb, Senior Programme Officer of this IUCN-UNHCR initiative highlighted the importance of marking the day in a refugee context by saying that, “Marking World Wildlife Day in the camp showcases how people living an uncertain life in a refugee context could also be organized, motivated and trained to help their neighbors, protect the environment and conserve the wildlife in putting strong effort to sustain all life on earth.”