Moin Mahmood: Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Abdul Awal Mintu MP said that collective efforts are needed to ensure a safe future of elephants. Government initiatives alone are not enough; people from all walks of life, including local communities, forest department field workers, non-governmental organizations, students, young generation, researchers, media workers, and others, must be involved in this work.

The minister said these things while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion organized on the occasion of World Elephant Day 2026 at the conference room of the Forest Department in Agargaon, the capital today. The international theme of this year`s World Elephant Day is "Bringing the world together to help elephants."

The minister said that although there were once many elephants in the country, the number of these animals is gradually decreasing. Highlighting the various initiatives of the government for elephant conservation, the Minister said that the Bangladesh Elephant Conservation Action Plan (2018–2027) has been formulated, in which 40 priority activities have been identified. These activities are being implemented through various projects.

He said that according to the ‘Compensation Rules for Property Damage by Wildlife, 2021’, compensation of up to 3 lakh taka is being provided to the family of the deceased, a maximum of 1 lakh taka to the injured and a maximum of 50 thousand taka for damage to property. From 2012 to June 2026, a total of about 137.7 million taka has been provided to the families of 322 deceased persons, 169 injured persons and 3,215 families who suffered damage to their homes and crops. He directed the Forest Department to provide compensation to the people affected by elephants at the earliest.

The Minister said that 159 Elephant Response Teams (ERTs) have been formed so far in elephant-inhabited areas. These teams are playing an important role in providing early warnings about the arrival of elephants, monitoring elephant movements and reducing conflicts between humans and elephants in a safe manner.

In his speech as a special guest, Mahmudul Haque Rubel, MP from Sherpur-3 constituency, presented various information about elephant attacks and compensation in his parliamentary constituency.

Another special guest at the event, Dr. Md. Saimum Parvez, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (Environment, Forest and Climate Change), said that elephants play an important role in protecting life and nature. Therefore, he called on everyone to come forward to protect elephants. He reminded that biodiversity must be protected to sustain human existence.

Acting Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Fahmida Khanam said that elephants are endangered not only in our country but all over the world. It is not generally understood how much benefit there will be if elephants are protected. As a result, it becomes difficult to get approval for new projects. He called on various domestic and foreign institutions to work together with the government in addition to government funding.

At the event presided over by Chief Conservator of Forests Md. Amir Hossain Chowdhury, Acting Executive Director of Aranyak Foundation Dr. Md. Abdul Motaleb presented various facts and figures about elephants