Rohingya Refugee Camp 26, Teknaf, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Image via Wikimedia Commons by Masum-al-Hasan Rocky. CC BY-SA-4.0.

An unprecedented influx of Rohingya refugees to Cox’s Bazar district in southern Bangladesh is inceasingly putting the ecologically fragile region on the brink of an environmental disaster. With over 1.3 million Rohingya refugees and 1.7 million total inhabitants, plus pressures from climate change, the region is facing a severe human-induced ecological crisis, leading to forest loss, biodiversity loss, pollution, water shortages, habitat loss, and fragmentation, causing the extinction of threatened wild forest species.

Most of these Rohingya refugees fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar due to state persecution and violence starting in 2017. These 1.3 million refugees have taken refuge in some of the most sensitive and biologically vulnerable areas in Bangladesh, including Teknaf Wildlife Sanctuary, Himchari National Park, and the Inani Protected areas.

Teknaf Wildlife Sanctuary, which protects an area of 11,615 hectares, and Himchari National Park, which protects approximately 550 hectares of relatively undisturbed tropical mixed evergreen forest, are home to the vulnerable Pig-tailed Macaque and provide important wildlife corridors for Bangladesh’s endangered Asian Elephants.

A 2018 United Nations Development Program (UNDP) study on environmental impacts identified 11 major environmental impacts that have been potentially be exacerbated by the Rohingya influx in Cox's Bazar.

Most significantly, natural forests, protected areas, critical habitats, vegetation, wildlife, and marine and freshwater ecosystems have been critically impacted.

Due to the increase in human settlements, elephant herds are struggling to move between forests. Occasionally, they attempt to break through obstacles, leading to human-elephant confrontations that have resulted in casualties among both Rohingya refugees and local communities.

Short-nosed Vine Snake (Ahaetulla Prasina). Image via WikiMedia Commons by Syed Abbas. Taken at the Teknaf Wildlife Sanctuary. CC BY-SA-4.0.

Alongside elephants, many other wildlife species — including birds, mammals, and reptiles — are suffering from habitat loss. Various plant species, including medicinal plants, bamboo, cane, and shrubs, have also been wiped out.

Previously, the vast hilly forests of Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf were home to 525 plant species and served as a habitat for many mammal species. However, in the past five and a half years, almost all of these forests have been on the verge of destruction.

Forest loss in Cox’s Bazar

Using remote sensing data and a supervised classification algorithm to produce LULC (Land Use/Land Cover) maps of Cox’s Bazar over time, including areas within the refugee camps, the World Bank recorded a loss of 16,607 hectares of forest in its 2022 report.

The most notable period of forest degradation occurred between 2017 and 2020, coinciding with the arrival of nearly 700,000 Rohingyas in Bangladesh in 2017 and 2018. An estimated 1,337 hectares of forest have been converted into settlements since 2017.

A World Bank study found significant forest losses within one kilometer of the camp boundaries, attributed to the human activities of camp residents, with considerable evidence of forests being cleared for settlements within five kilometers of the camps.

Camp areas increased by 835 percent between 2016 and 2017, indicating an increase of 774 percent between the same period from 175 to 1,530 hectares.

The largest refugee campsite, the Kutupalong–Balukhali compound, gained a net settlement growth of 1,219 hectares between 2016 and 2017.

Apart from settlement expansion, the development of essential facilities, services, and infrastructure projects such as roads, water, sanitation, and hygiene structures have also likely contributed to forest loss in the region. This has also negatively affected the economic potential and value of the forest, according to researchers.

Environmental and financial impact

Rohingya refugees have deforested 742 hectares of land outside the camps for firewood collection, including 234 hectares of plantation forests and 508 hectares of natural forests.

Additionally, the reduction in forest lands has contributed to a 13.58 percent decline in raw materials and a 14.57 percent decline in biodiversity, with total losses reaching BDT 2,420.67 crore (USD 220 million).

Since August 25, 2017, the camp residents have destroyed 4,937 ha of social and natural forests, causing financial losses of over BDT 9,820 crore (approximately USD 900 million).

According to Cox’s Bazar South Forest Division, the financial loss due to the destruction of forest resources is estimated at BDT 9,457 crore (USD 870 million), while biodiversity losses amount to BDT 2,234.48 crore (USD 205 million).

The total estimated loss stands at BDT 11,865.56 crore (USD 1.09 billion).

Deforestation for firewood

District locator map of Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh. Image via Wikimedia Commons by Arman Aziz. CC BY-SA 4.0.

According to the Forest Department, approximately 4,937 hectares of forest have been destroyed to make way for Rohingya settlements and related infrastructure. Additionally, another 1,200–1,600 hectares of forest have been deforested for firewood collection.

The Rohingyas mainly rely on the forest around their camps to collect wood for cooking, meaning every day, the 1.3 million residents consume around 50,000 kilograms of firewood. That equals a loss of approximately BDT 5 crore (USD 413,372) worth of firewood each day.

Nearly eight years after the Rohingya refugee crisis first began, only 40 percent of the newly-arrived refugees are staying in camps. The others are cutting hills and clearing forests to build new shelters.

Today, the average family in the area consumes six kilograms of wood per day. The annual per capita fuelwood consumption in Teknaf was estimated at 1,168 kilograms.

Before the introduction of the pilot phase of the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) project in August of 2018, Rohingya refugees were collecting an estimated 6,800,000 kilograms of firewood per month.

The LPG program resulted in an 80 percent reduction in demand for firewood in the Rohingya households in the camps by November 2019, reducing deforestation to well within sustainable forestry rates.

UNHCR has never provided 100 percent fuel coverage in a refugee setting using LPG; however, a challenge remains as much of the refugee population is unfamiliar with the fuel or stove technology.

However, the United Nations has warned that it will be forced to halve rations for about one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh starting in April 2025 due to a lack of funds.

If essential funding falls short — whether for food, cooking fuel, or basic shelter — it could have devastating effects on this already vulnerable community.

This could make refugees more vulnerable to exploitation and further dependent on the natural resources in the forests and hills of Cox’s Bazar's protected national parks.

In 2019, UNHCR and partners CRNS, IUCN and BRAC planted 150 hectares of shrubs and trees, allowing soil recovery and 2.5 kilometers of stream rehabilitation.

While initiatives such as the introduction of LPG and reforestation efforts have had some positive impact in mitigating deforestation, these interventions are yet to address the scale of environmental degradation.

As part of the Bangladesh government's response in Cox's Bazar, this situation demands immediate interventions and investment in restoring the environment and ecosystem.

The situation in Cox’s Bazar underlines the need for a balanced approach that prioritizes both human well-being and ecological preservation.