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Forest resources under pressure


Published : 14 Aug 2019 07:56 PM | Updated : 07 Sep 2020 09:41 PM

Population and economic growth are increasingly putting forest resources, critical to removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, preserving soil and mitigating climate change effects and risks under pressure, experts opine. 

They said, it is therefore essential to sustainably and effectively manage trees and forests: this requires an updated national forest monitoring and assessment. 

To this effect, the Strengthening National Forest Inventory and Satellite Land Monitoring System in support of REDD+ project builds essential institutional and technical capacities for regular forest resources monitoring. 

Sources concerned said, the project achievements so far include the production of a national land cover map, national estimates of the status of tree and forest resources, valuation of provisioning ecosystem services, estimation of aboveground volumes of tree biomass, and forest boundary digitization. 

The National Forest Inventory Unit has furthermore designed, prepared and submitted a National Land Coverage Classification System and data sharing policy of the Bangladesh Forest Department. 

Further work is expected to be carried out following the approval by the World Bank in October 2018 of a 175 million USD project for Sustainable Forests and Livelihoods which aims to improve the forest cover through a collaborative forest management approach involving local communities. 

The project will support the next inventory cycle and will plant 79,000 hectare of forest, including a coastal green belt. This should contribute to increase climate change resilience (Programme IV.1). 

Strengthen the engagement of the private sector to achieve a sustainable and innovative agriculture To accelerate diversification and value addition in agriculture, private sector involvement is essential to fully exploit the potential of livestock and crop production and transformation. 

The 2018 National Agricultural Policy (NAP) suggests that the adoption of nanotechnology in agriculture, with private sector involvement is key to sustain expected sectoral growth under current and future constraints such as climate change and resource overexploitation, by reducing natural resource and fertiliser utilisation thereby increasing food safety.  FAO (2015) "Global Forest Resources Assessment",  REDD+ refers to conservation of forest carbon stocks, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. 

Sustain agroforestry for environmental protection, climate change mitigation and sustainable agriculture intensification Forest coverage is now less than 11% in Bangladesh according to FAO.  Yet forestry remains a crucial sector through the provisioning of ecosystem services such as timber, bamboo, honey, fruits, and other primary forest products.  This amounted to 90.5 billion BDT in 2007/08 and 195.5 billion BDT in 2017/18, an underestimation as it does not include ecosystem services such as fuel wood, recreation, water or protection.  The increase over the last decade is explained by the sustained demand for timber and recent afforestation activities, such as the expansion of plantations, including mangroves.