Tree plantation
Concerted
efforts of all to augment tree plantation in the country are the need of the hour
The World Environment Day was observed in the country as elsewhere around the world yesterday. The theme of this years day was Connecting People to Nature. On Sunday Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the national tree plantation programme, environment fair and three-month long tree fair marking the day. The sole objective of the campaign is to create awareness among the people to plant more trees for the protection of environment.
Being an overpopulated country, Bangladesh is facing an acute shortage of agricultural lands due to construction of dwelling houses, setting up of industries and unplanned urbanization. Acreage of forest lands is also decreasing. The importance of forest resources of a country is immense for maintaining the balance of nature, environment, ecology and biodiversity. Forests cover about 5,000 square miles of Bangladesh, which is only 7 per cent of the total lands of the country. For the sake of environment forest areas should be 30 per cent of the total lands of a country. Unfortunately, we do not have that. And the trees that constitute the 7 percent forest lands are being cut down indiscriminately.
A section of dishonest forest department officials and employees, members of the law enforcement agencies and timber traders have formed a nexus in looting the trees. Scores of saw mills have sprung up in different places of the country without valid papers. The illegal timber traders and their cohorts are making quick bucks dealing a serious blow to the environment and biodiversity of the country. Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world that the country can take pride in, has also fallen prey to the vicious claws of the timber bandits. Scores of valuable trees of the forest have been cut down and looted during the past few years.
Trees are also being burnt in brick kilns indiscriminately for burning bricks despite the ban on the use of the same. A section of owners of brick fields are engaged in this malpractice. If the present trend of widespread destruction of trees goes on in the country, it will leave a serious impact on the environment, ecology, biodiversity, flora and fauna of the country. Concerted efforts of all to augment afforestation in the country are the need of the hour. Generation of awareness among people beginning from the capital city down to the grassroots level can help achieve the goal.
