More tree plantation for fighting climate change underscored

RAJSHAHI, July 26 (BSS): Promotion of adequate trees both fruit, timber and herbal is very important for fighting climate change, ensuring nutritional demands coupled with food security, ecological balance and biodiversity in Rajshahi region including its dried Barind tract, speakers in a post-rally discussion here said.
To maintain a solid ecological structure, every region of any country should have at least 25 per cent of natural vegetation. But unfortunately only about two percent of forest land has been left in the barind.
As a result, we are facing the adverse effects of the changing global climate changes. To combat the natural disasters, tree plantation has to be increased further for a better area.
Highlighting various significances of the trees in terms of the present social and national aspects they put emphasis on transforming the tree plantation campaign into a social movement.
The made these observations while addressing the inaugural session of a fortnight-long Tree Plantation Campaign and Tree Fair-2015 being held at the Green Plaza of City Bhaban in Rajshahi Saturday.
Social Forestry Division (SFD) and Office of the Deputy Commissioner jointly organized the campaign with a call to make the tree plantation campaign a social movement.
Commissioner of Rajshahi division Helaluddin Ahmed addressed the session as the chief guest with Deputy Commissioner Mezbah Uddin Chowdhury in the chair.
In his welcome speech, Divisional Forest Officer Azit Kumar Rudra gave an overview of the tree fair and narrated the achievements of forestry activities in the region. Significant number of small and marginal farmers attained economic emancipation through the participatory social afforestation programme, he said.
SFD has been executing various lucrative programmes in all 31 upazilas of Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Natore and Naogaon districts to encourage the rural people in planting saplings and nursing of the plants.
The profitable afforestation activities encouraged many people towards planting adequate saplings of wood, medicinal and fruit- bearing plants at homesteads, roadsides, office premises, embankments, forest areas, religious institutions' premises and other places.
Over 9,339 beneficiaries have, so far, received over Tk 236.6 million (Tk 23.66 crore) as their share from the created forests. In the current year, a beneficiary of Dhamuirhat upazila of Naogaon district received around Tk 1 million.
Conservator of Forest Abdul Mabud, Chief Executive Officer of Rajshahi City Corporation Ajahar Ali and President of Nursery Owners Association Shaheduzzaman Sarker also spoke.
The chief guest said there is no alternative to planting more saplings to protect the ecological balance, after facing the adverse effect of Farakka barrage in the region. He asked all concerned to put in their best efforts to make the region green by increasing the forest area.