The interim administration has abandoned the previously approved Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park project in Moulvibazar.
The National Economic Council’s Executive Committee, or ECNEC, made the decision on Monday.
“The project was presented at the ECNEC meeting, and it was approved for cancellation due to concerns about its impact on biodiversity,” according to Planning Advisor Wahiuddin Mahmud, who spoke to reporters at his office in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka.
Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Advisor and Chairperson of the ECNEC, presided over the meeting.
The project in Moulvibazar’s Lathitila reserve forest (phase 1) received conditional approval at an ECNEC meeting on November 9, 2023.
Since then, rights and environmental activists have vigorously opposed the park’s construction in a protected forest region.
The environment ministry said in an October statement that the safari park would negatively affect the forest.
A ministry-formed committee sent a letter to the Planning Commission proposing the project’s cancellation.
There are 209 animal species and 603 plant species in the designated forest area, which is situated 50 km north of Lawachhara National Park, 60 km northeast of Moulvibazar district town, and 20 km south of Madhabkunda waterfall.
Elephants are among the many animal species that have been able to maintain the site.
In order to prevent ecological harm, the ECNEC meeting emphasized the significance of including environmental specialists in the planning of upcoming projects.
