Country sets ambitious tree coverage expansion goal
Thursday, 6 June 2024
The Bangladesh government has set ambitious goals to expand the country's tree cover from 22.37 per cent to 25 per cent of total land area by 2030. Forest coverage is also targeted to increase from 14.1 per cent to 16 per cent. Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury shared these objectives with news agency UNB.
"The government has adopted the National Action Programme for Combating Desertification, Land Degradation, and Drought for 2015-2024," the minister told.
In alignment with the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 15 and the decisions of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) COP-13, Bangladesh aims to achieve 'Land Degradation Neutrality' by 2030. A national roadmap for addressing land degradation from 2021 to 2041 has also been developed.
Minister Chowdhury emphasised that extensive tree planting is underway to conserve the nation's forests, biodiversity, and wildlife. From 2009-10 to 2022-23, approximately 217,402 hectares of block plantations and 30,252 km of strip gardens were established, with over 112 million seedlings distributed and planted.
"From 2009 to 2023, 160,699 beneficiaries involved in social forestry received dividends totaling BDT 32.695 billion. Integrated efforts to reclaim encroached forest lands have resulted in recovering about 30,000 acres of forest land nationwide from October 2020 to last April," added Chowdhury.
In the current monsoon season, the government plans to plant 83.33 million seedlings across the country. A national forest survey is underway to measure the amount of tree cover and carbon content in forest sectors. Since 2009, approximately 89,853 hectares of coastal afforestation have been created to establish a green belt envisioned by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along the coastline.
On World Environment Day on Wednesday, under the slogan "Generation Restoration," various events will be held nationwide. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the National Tree Planting Campaign by planting saplings at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.