Forest, environment and climate change adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan said on Friday that the government was committed to transforming botanical gardens into conservation sites as the gardens across the country were being used as merely recreational spaces.
Rizwana made these remarks while virtually delivering a speech as chief guest at the Annual Botanical Conference 2025 at Jahangirnagar University.
Bangladesh Botanical Society organised the annual event, said a press release issued on the day.
Highlighting the government鈥檚 ongoing efforts to protect endangered forest areas, including hilly and coastal forests, the adviser said that attempts were being made to regulate tourism for conservation.
She stressed the need for evicting illegal encroachments and ensuring reforestation in degraded forest areas.
If deforestation occurs due to any development project, immediate afforestation measures must be implemented as an alternative, Rizwana said.
The government has initiated a comprehensive master plan for the restoration of sal forests, Rizwana said, adding that merely planting of native trees is not sufficient, but long-term preservation efforts are equally crucial.
Natural forests could not be fully restored through social forestry alone, she said, adding that no afforestation project should come at the cost of destroying existing natural forests.
She also stressed the importance of fulfilling constitutional commitment to biodiversity conservation through concrete actions.
Expressing admiration for Jahangirnagar University鈥檚 natural environment, Rizwana remarked that the campus had played a significant role in nurturing environmentalists due to its deep connection with nature.
She urged other universities to foster similar eco-friendly environments.
Bangladesh Botanical Society president M Azizur Rahman chaired the conference where JU vice-chancellor professor Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan, pro-VCs professor M Mahfuzur Rahman and professor Sohel Ahmed, and treasurer professor M Abdur Rab, among others, spoke at the event.