Bangladesh prohibits the use of plastic in the world's largest mangrove forests
Protectionists in Bangladesh said on Tuesday that tourists dumping garbage in the world's largest mangrove forest have severely damaged the ecosystem and forced World Heritage sites to implement a one-time plastic ban.
The Sundarbans Forest stretches across the coast of Bangladesh and is home to some of the rarest creatures in the world, including the Bengali Tiger and the Irrawaddy Dolphin.
According to government data, in addition to seasonal visits by fishermen and wild honey catchers who depend on ecosystem premiums, tourists visit about 200000 annually.
When they visit the forest, they bring disposable water bottles, disposable plastic cups, soft drink bottles and pop cans," forest manager Abu Naser Mohsin Hossain told AFP.
It's hard to clean up," he added.
Later on Monday, Bangladesh's Ministry of Environment Shahab Udin announced a unique plastic ban on 6500 square kilometers (2500 square miles) forest.
The minister said: "Disposable plastics have seriously damaged the environment and biodiversity of the Sundarbans.
His decision was immediately welcomed by environmentalists.
Monirul Khan, professor of zoology at Jahangir Nagar State University in Bangladesh, told AFP: "The environment and biodiversity of the Sundarbans are at risk."
The extent of plastic pollution is beyond imagination. Wild animals often eat these plastics.
Part of Sundarbans was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997.
Mangroves protect the coast from erosion and extreme weather events, improve water quality by filtering pollutants and serve as a nursery for many marine organisms.
They can help combat climate change by locking millions of tons of carbon in leaves, trunks, roots and soil every year.
The Sundarbans River, located in the Ganges Delta, Brahmaputra River and Mehna River in the Bay of Bengal, also helps protect Bangladesh's coastal communities from the effects of cyclones that frequently attack the country during the annual monsoon.
Conservators often raise alarm about environmental threats in Sundarbans, including the construction of coal-fired power plants that were commissioned last year on the northern edge.
Sharif Jamir, Secretary General of the Bangladesh Environmental Movement, said that the factory continues to pose a significant threat to the ecosystem.
The government should stop coal transport and emissions from forests and rivers," he told AFP.
Undiscovered ships transporting coal through forests for power plants can also cause significant pollution
