Bangladesh has advanced significantly in the last fifty years. By 2041, we are likely to join the league of high-income countries. We have also received accolades for our performance in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, we rank 101 out of 166 nations on the SDG ranking, scoring 65.9 per cent. According to the Sustainable Development Report 2023, we are ahead of India and Pakistan in South Asia but trail Bhutan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Nepal.
According to the report, we have made notable progress in SDG 4 (quality education) and SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production). Other SDGs still need to grow, particularly those relating to climate and the environment (SDGs 3, 6, 7, 11, 14, and 15), leaving us with enormous challenges in meeting these goals.
Historically, our natural forests have always been limited. On top of that, the country's development came at the expense of environmental degradation. Currently, forests cover 12.8 per cent of our total land area, compared to roughly 16 per cent in the 1980s. In addition, we have one of the highest deforestation rates in South Asia, at approximately 2,600 hectares per year (Poffenberger M. Communities and Forest Management in South Asia. Philippines: IUCN, DFID, and Asia Forest Network; 2000).
Forests and climate change are inextricably linked. Bangladesh is a low-CO2 generating country, yet its forests are a rich carbon reservoir. Our forests stored 127.28 million tonnes of carbon aboveground and belowground (FAO 2015). Forests are critical in mitigating climate change as they capture carbon dioxide and store carbon within soils and forest biomass.
Despite significant socioeconomic improvement, our natural environment is stressed due to rapid and unplanned natural resource management, urbanisation, and industrialisation.
The Bangladesh government has engaged in long-term projects to maintain its natural forests and biodiversity to foster economic growth while protecting citizens' livelihoods and health. Despite committing to stop deforestation and expand forestland by 25 per cent by 2030, Bangladesh is setting fewer examples of forestation than deforestation.
Deforestation has resulted in a loss of 9,054 square kilometres of the country's forest since 1930, based on a remote sensing survey by Reddy et al. (2016). Much of this forest reduction has been in the Sal Forest area, which is about 75 per cent depleted.
According to the National Conservation Strategy, most of Bangladesh's forest regions are under enormous demographic pressure and have reached resilience limitations. The main issues confronting Bangladesh's forest resources are exponentially expanding consumption and reliance on forest goods and services by a rapidly growing population and poor enforcement of forest legislation. As a result, the essence of the problem resides outside the forestry sector.
WHAT CAN BUSINESSES DO: Expansion of manufacturing and industrial sites contributes significantly to worldwide deforestation. Further proof of the effects of industry on Bangladesh's forests is required. However, we have seen an increase in readymade garment (RMG) manufacturers affecting Sal Forest areas, hotels and resorts in the hospitality sector, implicating hill tracts, swamp forests, Sal Forest and coastal areas, and special economic zones in coastal regions over the last decade. These are some of the most notable forest land users. Hence, deforestation is a corporate responsibility issue that businesses must address from their industrial status.
Businesses are becoming increasingly concerned about their environmental impact and are taking proactive steps to implement green projects. The abovementioned industries operate multiple LEED-certified RMG factories, reflecting their commitment to environmentally sustainable practices. In addition, the hospitality industry runs eco-resorts, and economic zones carry out large tree plantation programs to promote a greener planet. This is courageous, but businesses could do more.
One of the most popular corporate social responsibility initiatives is planting trees. However, maintaining the planted trees costs more than the plantation itself. Furthermore, the rising salinity along the coast has made it difficult to plant trees across the large land area of the government's special economic zones. As a result, it is difficult for businesses to propose a solution to the problem. The government must develop a robust governance framework and be open to working with the private sector.
One innovative option could be the establishment of carbon reservoirs, with the private sector contributing to the government's designated land as a cost of business expansion or industrialisation.
Businesses can calculate the area of their present establishments or a proposed site and the amount of carbon absorbed by forests of the same area. After determining the total area of the business establishment, they may utilise forestry computation methods to estimate carbon content, considering trees and ground cover within the same area as the business establishment. Then, plan trees on the government-designated land to correlate and compensate with the carbon estimation.
This can be a part of the national forest management initiative.
Managing forest carbon reserves is critical for controlling rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere. We cannot deny that a business expansion induces innovation, new job prospects, accessibility, and economic progress.
Accordingly, before allowing new establishments, the government may select particular forests with potential for company setting and evaluate carbon stock. It will help determine how much the new setup should spend to compensate for the business expansion.
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