Tiger Summit in Dhaka in Jan
Tk 254cr WB loan for wildlife conservation
World Bank will provide 36 million US dollar (approximately Tk 254 crore) loan to Bangladesh for conservation of the wildlife, including tiger.
Environment and Forests Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud said this while he was talking to newsmen after a meeting with World Bank Country Director Ellen Goldstein at his Secretariat office yesterday.
He said the meeting has decided that Bangladesh will host a ministerial level Tiger Summit in Dhaka next year seeking ways to protect the tiger population from extinction.
Dr Hasan said: “We've taken the decision in principle to host a ministerial level Tiger Summit in Dhaka in the second half of January next. Representatives from 12 tiger range countries across the world will join the summit.”
In fact, the World Bank will be providing the loan support under its regional cooperation strengthening project to conserve wildlife, he said.
The state minister said: “The World Bank is our development partner and it has been providing financial and technical support to us for the development of environment and protecting the Sundarbans.”
He said some 38 water vessels and 65 road vehicles will be procured under the World Bank loan with a view to strengthening drives in deep forests to curb poaching of wildlife.
Dr Hasan said the government is considering rewards for wildlife conservation. “It's a new idea. We are thinking how to involve the financial institutions in this process.”
He said of the 12 tiger range countries, Bangladesh is one of the most densely tiger populated countries. “On an average, one tiger lives in every 20 square kilometers in Bangladesh, whereas it is 200-400 square kilometers in Russia.”
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