Dhaka, May 5 -- Once rich with centuries of biodiversity, the natural forests of the hills have been written off as "unproductive" and cleared for so-called "profitable" plantations - a move through which the Forest Department has turned its own axe on the very roots it was meant to protect.

As foreign species like teak, rubber, acacia, and eucalyptus tighten their grip, the soil continues to erode, springs and streams in the hills are drying up, and wildlife is facing severe threats.

Only now has the Forest Department shown "signs of awareness" - turning toward mixed plantations and native trees in an attempt to restore ecological balance in the face of monoculture damage.

Yet, despite this shift in rhetoric, the commercial planting o...