HUMANS are mainly responsible for the current climate change and warming crisis in the world. So everyone has something to do to get rid of this crisis. Due to urbanisation, industrialisation and modernisation of agriculture, the environmental crisis is increasing alarmingly. But it is not at all possible to stop or reduce the speed of industrialization and urbanisation. So there is a need to try to maintain a balance between development and conservation. In this regard, forestry can play the most important and effective role. Every human can contribute to the conservation and growth of plants. So everyone should plant as many trees as possible around the house or in open spaces during the planting season every year. Only then will nature, the environment, and human life and health be good.
Many may remember that in May 2020, Super Cyclone 鈥楢mpan鈥� hit the coast, but the loss of life was minimal due to the Sundarbans, and it was a relief at that time. Earlier, Cyclone Bulbul on November 9, 2019, Cyclone Sidor on November 15, 2007, and Cyclone Aila on May 25, 2009, hit with devastating force but were weakened by the Sundarbans. The loss of life and property was much less than expected. The Sundarbans acted as shields and sentinels to protect the people of the south-western coast of the country and adjacent areas from natural calamities.
The Sundarbans of Bangladesh is the single largest mangrove forest in the world, located on the Bay of Bengal coast. Many say it is the Amazon of Bangladesh. Rich in biodiversity, the Sundarbans is one of the most attractive places for people all over the world. It is the favourite habitat of the Royal Bengal Tiger. The Sundarbans stands proudly after facing natural calamities like Cyclone Sidor, Aila, Fani and Bulbul. But the existence of this forest is becoming endangered. Those who have done research on this forest say that the sundarbans is one of the forces of biodiversity and environmental protection. However, the existence of the Sundarbans is threatened due to development projects and commercial activities in and around it.
Forestry protects us from the harmful effects of green house, provides essential food, supplies oxygen, keeps the environment clean by absorbing excess carbon dioxide from the air, protects the living world by purifying the harmful polluted air, provides cool shade, prevents soil erosion, organic matter in the soil, protects soil fertility by summing substance, retains adequate amount of water in the soil, provides fuel, supplies raw materials for valuable life-saving medicines, acts as a safe habitat for animals, birds and other wildlife, prevents natural disasters from storms and floods, helps in building houses and in making valuable furniture, prevents salinity, acts as an insurance in case of human accidents, keeps the soil pure and clean by absorbing harmful toxic substances from the soil, keeps the air clean, reduces the heat of the atmosphere and keeps the weather cool, absorbs air pollutants like carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, the leaves of the trees prevent the movement of storms and winds, create rain and prevent desertification, maintaining the balance of the natural environment as well as making nature magical and beautiful.
That is why more and more afforestation is very important and significant. Global warming is increasing day by day, desertification is increasing, carbon dioxide is increasing in the air, and the amount of chlorofluorocarbon, methane, and nitrous oxide, which is harmful to biodiversity, is among the problems we are constantly facing due to a lack of sufficient forest land and trees. Increasingly, the weight of the atmosphere is cracking, allowing harmful ultraviolet rays to reach Earth. Along with acid rain and rising temperatures, the sea level is rising due to the melting of ice in the polar regions and Antarctica. Bangladesh is among the most affected countries, and there is no alternative to massive afforestation.
For one, global warming has increased by 0.74 degrees Celsius over the past hundred years. If global warming continues like this, it is expected that the temperature of the earth will increase by 1.70 degrees Celsius by 2050. If the level of climate change increases like this, then nature, people and the environment will face many problems. People鈥檚 rights to food security, clean water and natural resources, housing, and other infrastructure facilities will be threatened. Scientists fear that in the next 50 years, due to the increase in sea level, a large part of the coastal region of Bangladesh will disappear under the sea. Climate change will adversely affect Bangladesh鈥檚 agriculture and food security, biodiversity, health, fresh water and coastal areas. Climate change will increase rainfall and floods, reduce food production by 30 per cent, increase the number of hungry and poor people, increase temperatures, and melt the Himalayan glaciers. We will face disaster.
The forest area under government control in Bangladesh is about 23 lakh hectares, which is about 15.58 per cent of the country鈥檚 total area. Out of this, the amount of forest land controlled by the Forest Department is about 16 lakh hectares, which is about 10.74 per cent of the country鈥檚 area. The government has time and again pledged to protect the forest land and raise it to more than 24 per cent by 2025. But, its actions speak otherwise, as the government has continued to disregard forests and the environment in its development policy. There are many instances where government agencies have grabbed forest land or allowed the construction of industries on forest land. As a result, the country鈥檚 forests and wildlife are under threat today.
As the lives and livelihoods of people are directly connected with forest resources, the protection of biodiversity, nature and the environment is also inextricably linked with forest protection. For this reason, there is no alternative to extensive afforestation and the conservation of forest land.
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Md Zillur Rahaman is a banker and columnist.