The forest department in Barguna struggles to deal with poachers due to lack of manpower.
The southern district is in charge of 65,000 acres of forest and has only 95 people to do the job.
With only 28 staffers, the forest office in Patharghata Upazila has to look after nearly 9,500 acres of forest.
Locals said that smugglers cut trees in the night and transport the logs on trawlers through the canals running through the forests. Poachers are also active in the forest for deers.
Forest officials stress more manpower and round-the-clock patrolling to stop poaching.
Only eight people are in charge of the 14,000-acre Tengragiri Reserved Forest in Taltali Upazila. Forest department staffers often have to swim across the canals during patrol duty due to lack of water transportation.
On spot visits, tree trunks of Rain tree, Akashmoni, Akashi were seen abandoned in Tengragiri with the logs gone.
“Tengragiri is a large forest and our manpower is severely low. We are trying to prevent tree poachers with cooperation from the locals,” said Beat Official Zahid Pramanik.
“Smugglers are taking the advantage of the manpower shortage as we can’t patrol round-the-clock,” he said.
Meanwhile, workers were found felling trees in board daylight on the embankment in the Upazila’s Nishanbaria.
Speaking to Bangla Tribune, they declined to name their employer. “We are getting paid to meet the ends. Can’t give you any name.”
Barguna Range Officer Motiar Rahman told Bangla Tribune that they were trying their best to stop the menace.
“We rush, whenever, an incident is reported and with more manpower it can be totally stopped,” he said.
Claiming that the authorities were vigilant, Divisional Forest Officer Mohammad Aminul Islam said, “We act immediately against the tree poachers.”
“We have curbed tree poaching and smuggling logs through the rivers in cooperation with the police and coastguard.”