Dhaka, March 30 — Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo has announced that approximately 15 million saplings will be planted across Bangladesh during the upcoming monsoon season as part of the government’s efforts to address environmental degradation and climate change impacts. Report BSS
The minister said the initiative is aligned with the government’s electoral commitments to strengthen climate resilience and expand green coverage nationwide. “We have already collected around 15 million saplings of various species for plantation, which will be completed at the onset of the monsoon,” he said while responding to a starred question from opposition lawmaker Md. Abdus Sattar (Nilphamari-1) in Parliament.
To support the plantation campaign, preparations have been completed for national, divisional, and district-level tree fairs alongside the annual tree plantation drive.
Looking ahead, the government has set an ambitious target to plant a total of 250 million trees over the next five years. The programme will include forest restoration, mangrove afforestation in coastal char areas, roadside and embankment plantation, riverbank greening, as well as tree planting in institutions, households, urban areas, and agroforestry systems. The initiative is also expected to generate “green employment” opportunities.
To ensure proper maintenance and monitoring, the minister said a digital “tree monitoring app” will be developed for tracking plantation progress and survival rates.
He further noted that 50 percent of mangrove plantations in coastal regions will be brought under carbon trading mechanisms.
As part of forest conservation efforts, the government plans to recover approximately 4,800 hectares of encroached forest land—800 hectares in the short term, 2,000 hectares in the medium term, and another 2,000 hectares in the long term—and bring these areas under afforestation.
To reduce human-wildlife conflict in areas surrounding the Sundarbans, a 74-kilometre rope fence will be constructed along the forest boundary to protect lives and property from tiger attacks.
In addition, smart patrolling systems equipped with cyber tracking technology will be introduced across four ranges of the Sundarbans Reserve Forest to prevent deforestation and protect mangrove ecosystems. The plan includes coverage of 30,000 kilometres in the short term, 60,000 kilometres in the medium term, and up to 300,000 kilometres in the long term.
The minister also highlighted plans to restore degraded forests in the Chattogram Hill Tracts and other affected areas in Chattogram and Sylhet regions as part of broader ecosystem restoration efforts.
