Lawachara National Park
Lawachara is one of the major national park/sanctuary/reserve in Bangladesh. In 1997 Bangladesh government declared it A National Park. This forest is built by the British, the time of their rule in Indian Subcontinent. Lawachara is the most beautiful tropical forest. The park is named after a small narrow tributary, named ‘Lawachara’. Its previous name was ‘West Bhanugan’. Lawachara is also called a Bird Safari.
Area and Location:
Lawachara National Park is located in Kamalgonj Upazila of Maulavibazar District, about 160 km north east of Dhaka, well connected by the national highway. The Park has an area of 1250 ha and comprises forests of southern and eastern parts of West Bhanugach Reserve Forests within the Lawachara, Chautali and Kalachara Beats of Maulavibazar Range. The Park was notified in 1996 as per the wild life (Preservation) (Amendment)
Act of 1974.Roughly 15% of forest cover is completely lost, and another 60% of its area thinnedconsiderably due to illegal logging and fuel wood collection. Wild life has declined by roughly 80% and other forms of habitats have become extinct are facing near extinction.
Settlements:
There are 18 settlements (villages) within the landscape covering 5 km from the forest boundary. Out of the 18 villages, 2 villages are located inside the forest inhabited by Khasia Adibashis. The largest called the “Magurchara Punji”, which has 40 households and the other called the Lawachara Punji has 23 households. There is also a Tipra Adhibasi settlement with 75 households located at the south west boundary of the Park.
Rests of the villages are located at the north eastern boundary of the park inhabited by migrants from Comilla, Noakhali and neighboring Indian state of Tripura and Assam; 4 are located just at the outskirt, and the remaining are one km away. The Park is also surrounded
by 6 tea estates.