HERMONICA : AN UNITED LAND

Everything has an irreplaceable role in our environment – this stands for both humans
and every living being. But, in a Highly progressing and developing country like
Bangladesh this is not the case. Walking forward by keeping structural development in
front, De facto of keeping environment and ecology is far from the light of reality.
Though there is a Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change which try to
ensure sustainable living environment for the present and future population of the
country through protection of the environment and biodiversity, control of environment
pollution, tackle climate change, development of forest resources and sustainable
management of maritime resources. But failed to do effective progress. Bangladesh is
one of the 28 countries that are considered ‘’a major source of wildlife trafficking.” So,
Bangladesh’s wildlife is endangered. Killing animals, poaching, indiscriminate killing,
deforestation, and a lack of food all affect the life of animals. But there is a major issue.
Human-wildlife conflict in Bangladesh is at an all-time high. Lives in the wild are
misunderstood, feared, and widely persecuted, resulting in biodiversity loss. There is a
general lack of understanding of animals, and their relevance in our environment is
unclear to the general public. People are afraid of them and do not understand why
every living thing is required to combat climate change, preserve our environment, and
avert human extinction.

There is also religious factors and tremendous amount of myths swim through
Bangladeshi society. Myths about how snakes have valuable gem hidden inside it’s
head, how extracted oil from boiling fox’s bone will cure everything, Killing animals is so
normalized in our society. Children throw rocks towards stray dogs, beat stray animals
which considered a type of fun by many unaware parents.

Following Environmental Education and Community Engagement 2023 : Guidelines for

Excellence, my first step will be to learn what my community already knows about
domestic and semi domestic animals, wild life, animal cruelty act, Bangladesh wildlife
saving act 2012, then I’ll identify assets available in my community address animal
safety and will promote awareness, and determine which aspects (if any) are most
relevant to community members. To do this, I will create an interactive display in the
Nature Centre area focused on for a represent for humans and wildlife habitat and
provide paper surveys as part of the display for visitors to fill out. I will also send out
digital versions of the survey to our members. The survey will ask questions such as,
What they know about animals? Are they important for us? Do any animal life nearby
them? Where can wildlife find food in your neighborhood? Do you think people and
wildlife in your area live with harmony? What could you do to improve this situation?
Which methods can be applicable in your community which will be most effective and
interesting for others?

I will proceed to the following phase based on the survey results: reaching out to
community stakeholders. Depending on the community’s desire, I will contact
organizations that aim to teach people in my town about wild animal safety, including
how to respond if a dangerous animal enters human area. Provide them with resources
to call if they have any problems, such as the WCCU (wildlife crime control unit), the
Deep Ecology and Snake Conservation Foundation, and so on. To provide a broader
understanding of empathy, learning resources on sustainable living, gardening,
composting, beekeeping, hunting, fishing, and foraging will be provided. We can then
discuss potential collaboration opportunities such as social media marketing,
instructional exhibits, or an open house event. We’ve had a lot of success with simple
open house events where community partners run booths and activities alongside
arboretum staff; these events are free for the public, low-cost for the arboretum and
participating organizations, and frequently include skill-building or service activities
that give participants a sense of ownership. The event’s design will be determined by
the demands of all groups involved; they will most likely have ideas I haven’t
considered, and one issue I anticipate is that the pre- and post-event survey participant
groups will not coincide. However, I will be surveying the general community of
arboretum visitors and members both times, so I hope the results are representative. I
will also discuss the event’s feelings with the community partners and will promote any
new partnerships that may form. I will also identify other organizations that could
benefit from our relationship.
Finally, I will share the survey results with the community partners and collaborate
with them on a strategy to deliver the information to the public. I intend to include
information on advocacy and other civic engagement methods to address the lack of
understanding regarding wildlife, ecology, and environmental education in Bangladesh.
At the end, these may result a happy future with human-nature coexistence with love.