Bangladesh Launches National Tree Plantation Movement Essay Example

Bangladesh Launches National Tree Plantation Movement Essay Example Bangladesh Launches National Tree Plantation Movement Essay Bangladesh Launches National Tree Plantation Movement Essay Bangladesh launches national tree plantation movement 0 CommentsPrint E-mail Xinhua, June 2, 2010 Adjust font size: Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Tuesday inaugurated a three-month National Tree Plantation Movement-2010 and one-month National Tree Fair-2010 with a call to plant at least three saplings by each individual on all open spaces to protect environment and biodiversity. I call upon you all including the peoples representatives, government officials and people from all walks of life to plant at least three saplings of fruit-bearing, timber and other medicinal trees and play a pivotal role to involve others with the governments tree plantation movement in this regard, she said. Mentioning the role of trees in poverty alleviation, employment generation and protecting environment, the Prime Minister said her government has undertaken various programs for increasing the countrys forest resources to this end through creating of social afforestation. We are also working f or creating greenbelt across the coastal belt to protect it from natural calamities side by side with saving bio-diversity and environment there, she said. Sheikh Hasina also asked the authorities concerned to increase the countrys forest area to 25 percent, which is now a mere 10 percent. She said her government has undertaken a project involving 1. 09 billion taka (15. 57 million U. S. dollars) through social afforestation to alleviate poverty. - Besides, she said it has already initiated a Climate Change Trust Fund of 7 billion taka (100 million U. S. dollars) of its own to face the challenges of adverse impact of climate change. Nearly 140 million people are living in the limited area of Bangladesh. The agriculture sector has not developed enough to produce adequate food grains for the country and as such deficit is met through import from the neighboring countries. The country has become a land of ecological imbalance due to deforestation and lack of afforestation. On the other hand Bangladesh has tremendous possibilities of improvement in the field of traditional and specialized agriculture as well as in the field of afforestation. Bangladesh Agriculture and Forest Development Ltd. (BAFD), an unit of Bangladesh Development Group is aiming to utilize its natural resource of fertile land and tropical climate for economical development of the country as well as to revert the ecological imbalance. It has the plan to set up Medicinal Plantation as specialized agriculture project and Oil Palm Tree Plantation as agricultural as well as forest development project. The Oil Palm Tree Plantation will also contribute towards improving the condition of ecological imbalance. Moreover, Palm Oil Production will significantly reduce its import volume. Since Oil Palm Tree Plantation cum Palm Oil Production is a new technology in Bangladesh, the company intends to march forward in collaboration with experienced foreign associates to implement its objectives. - OUR ACTIVITIES * 1. Medicinal Plantation * 2. Palm Oil Production * - 3. Tree Plantation Tree Plantation Unilever Bangladesh is aware of global warming, the seemingly irreversible condition resulting to extreme climate changes. This is why the Company launched a programme to take steps towards creating a Greener Bangladesh and to help protect the country by restoring its greenery Tree Plantation The consequences of global warming is very significant when we consider Bangladesh, this being a low-lying country. The recent occurrence of Hurricane Aila which left death and destruction in its wake, just over a year after Hurricane Sidr should tell us that our weather patterns are already changing, and that it’s only going to get worse. Bangladesh being a low-lying delta country is particularly vulnerable, standing to loose 15% of its land mass, which includes the world heritage site, the Sundarbans, home to thousands of species. Already a country battling with poverty, the problems will be made worse if the rise in sea level contaminates our fresh water supplies. Unilever Bangladesh is aware of global warming, the seemingly irreversible condition resulting to extreme climate changes. This is why the Company launched a programme to take steps towards creating a Greener Bangladesh and to help protect the country by restoring its greenery. UBL in collaboration with Tengamara Mohila Shabuj Shanga (TMSS) initiated its tree plantation program on 30th October 2009. The aim of this program is to promote environmental care and raise environmental awareness. As a start, the Company planted 10,000 trees that will be scaled up to higher numbers in the coming years. The initiative began at Taranagar Union under Keranigonj Upazilla of Dhaka District. The Unilever Managers also participated by planting saplings demonstrating their commitment to the cause. Tree plantation can help protect barind tract RAJSHAHI, July 3: Speakers at the inaugural ceremony of a fortnight-long tree plantation movement and tree fair here on Sunday unequivocally called for extensive afforestation to protect the high barind tract from further degradation, reports BSS. In this regard, they viewed that the optimum afforestation could help stop degradation of environment, ecology and biodiversity to make the country a safe habitat for all. Creation of more forests through tree plantations to expand the country’s forest area up to 25 percent of the total landscape will protect Bangladesh from the possible alarming consequences of the ongoing climate changes, they added. Social Forestry Division (SFD) and Deputy Commissioner Office jointly organized the tree plantation movement and fair- 2011 at the Green Plaza of Rajshahi City Corporation Bhaban with a call to make the tree plantation campaign a social movement as part of the current National Tree Plantation Drive. Commissioner of Rajshahi division Abdul Mannan addressed the ceremony as the chief guest while Commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Md Obaiduallh and Chief Executive Officer Rajshahi City Corporation Ajahar Ali spoke as special guests with Deputy Commissioner Dilwar Bakth in the chair. In his address of welcome, Divisional Forest Officer Abul Basher Mian gave an overview of the fortnight-long tree plantation movement and tree fair. The speakers urged the people irrespective of age, sex, creed and cast to plant at least three saplings each around their respective homesteads or on any open space to help maintain environmental and ecological balance and save the region from the wrath of any future natural catastrophe. They said there is no alternative to plant more saplings to protect the ecological balance after facing the adverse effect of Farakka barrage in the region. All concerned should put in their best effort to make the region green by enhancing forest area. Different government and non-government organizations and individuals including nursery owners and local entrepreneurs have set up 50 stalls on the fair ground displaying saplings of over 100 varieties, including 40 indigenous plants of fruit-bearing trees, timber and medicinal trees. Earlier, a colourful rally, participated by the officials, students and heads of the educational institutions, socio- cultural activists and professionals, paraded the city roads to aware the people about tree plantation. Bangladesh to plant 100 mln trees to fight floods, cyclones by Staff Writers Dhaka (AFP) May 24, 2008 Disaster-prone Bangladesh announced on Saturday that it would plant 100 million trees to create a natural fence against frequent floods and cyclones. The head of the countrys military-backed government Fakhruddin Ahmed launched the project in the capital, Dhaka, saying the trees would fight storms, tidal surges, floods and droughts in a natural way. He appealed to all Bangladeshis to build a wall of trees in the coastal belt as a strong deterrent to disaster. Our main weapon to face these disasters is tree plantation, he said. Impoverished Bangladesh has suffered numerous natural calamities that have been occurring more frequently in recent years due to global warming, environmentalists say. The intensity of the storms have also risen in the low-country country where 40 percent of its 144 million people live below poverty level. The trees will be planted over the next three months during the rainy season, deputy environment minister Raja Debashish Roy told AFP. Its the countrys biggest-ever planting programme. Weve undertaken it to protect our natural calamity-prone country from frequent cyclones and floods that has been exacerbated by climate change, he said. Last summer the country was hit by two major floods while a cyclone tore through its coastal districts in November, killing at least 5,000 people and leaving tens of millions homeless and desperately short of food. Environmentalists said the deaths in the storm would have been even greater had not the worlds largest mangrove forest stood as a green bastion against the cyclone. Some 1,500 square kilometres (600 square miles) of the 10,000-square-kilometre Sunderbans forest, which straddles Bangladesh and India and is home to the famed Royal Bengal tigers, were badly damaged. We will be planting 100 million saplings and we have an estimated 180 million saplings in the nurseries so we wont run short, said forest ministry secretary Rezaul Kabir. The sapling planting programme is double last years level, he said. Kabir said most of the saplings would be planted in the coastal areas to build a green belt in the southern districts. Like in the Sunderbans, these trees will work as a natural fence against regular storms and tidal surge. It will reduce the number of casualties in natural disasters, he said. Some 14 percent of the country is covered by forest and trees and the government aims to increase that figure to 20 percent. Bangladesh has been under emergency rule since January 2007 when the military- backed government took power after elections were cancelled following vote-rigging allegations.