[🇧🇩] Save the Rivers/Forests/Hills-----Save the Environment

[Saif]

Vanishing urban greenery

Bangladesh's capital Dhaka has been ranked among the world's fastest-growing cities, accommodating around 21 per cent of the country's total population. According to the UN's World Urbanization Prospects 2025 report, Dhaka has become the world's second most populous city, after Jakarta of Indonesia

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Vanishing urban greenery

Shiabur Rahman
Published :
Jan 08, 2026 23:20
Updated :
Jan 08, 2026 23:20

Bangladesh's capital Dhaka has been ranked among the world's fastest-growing cities, accommodating around 21 per cent of the country's total population. According to the UN's World Urbanization Prospects 2025 report, Dhaka has become the world's second most populous city, after Jakarta of Indonesia, with an estimated 36.6 million dwellers out of the country's total population of 175 million. To accommodate the ever-growing population, Dhaka city area is expanding with every passing day. Urbanisation is desired in almost every nation as it offers significant benefits, primarily acting as a powerful engine for economic growth and improved quality of life through better access to jobs, services and infrastructure. But beneath Dhaka's urban expansion lies a big concern --- rapid loss of green space, the most critical life-giving components. Rapid expansion leads to the destruction of the city's green landscape and the reduction of wetlands and open spaces for construction of roads, buildings and infrastructures, causing the city's balance with the environment to reach a critical stage. Several recent studies found that Dhaka's green space is degrading both in extension and quality.

Greenery is not just an aesthetic feature in the urban landscape. Trees, green spaces, meadows and wetlands serve as the lungs, kidneys, and temperature control systems of a city. In the case of Dhaka, the urban density, which is among the highest in the world, such natural systems are critical. However, over the last several decades, Dhaka has seen the loss of a substantial area of its tree cover and wetlands because of urbanisation and the lack of proper implementation of environmental legislation.

The city authorities have made different efforts to increase the tree cover area, including planting trees, but some of them turned into a futile exercise. A research found that the city is not benefiting much from the new tree plantation as most of the species are not native to Bangladesh and invasive. Authorities probably choose these trees as they are quick-growing, easier to maintain and considered to be ornamental in nature. But in reality, these species do little to provide any shade, absorb carbon dioxide, support bird or insect life, or cool any part of the city. In reality, in some cases, they cause a reverse effect, consuming excessive groundwater or failing to survive for long.

The impact of reduced or low-quality greenery on the urban environment is already apparent. No wonder, Dhaka is ranked consistently high among the most polluted cities in terms of air quality. Though it is true that vehicle exhaust, dust and industrial pollutants play roles detrimental to it, inadequate greenery is no less damaging. Trees purify the air by arresting particulate matter and absorbing harmful gases. The purification process is affected when there is not enough greenery.

The effect of this environmental degradation is profound. Poor air is directly linked to respiratory diseases like asthma, bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. Cardiovascular diseases are also caused by the continuous intake of polluted air. According to health experts, thousands of people die prematurely each year in Dhaka as a result of air pollution.

To reverse the trend of declining greeneries in Dhaka, a mindset change is imperative. Green infrastructure should be considered vital public infrastructure and not a wish list. Urban forests, parks, and wetlands must be formally safeguarded and included in development plans. Tree-planting campaigns should be run every year to make people aware of the negative impacts of declining tree cover area. And authorities should focus on planting indigenous tree species like banyian, neem, jarul, and kadam since they grow well in the climate of Bangladesh, provide ample shade, and do not require much water.​

 

[Saif]

Welcome forest ordinance, but enforcement is key

THE promulgation of an ordinance for preventing encroachment on and regulating forest land is a welcome and long-overdue step. The ordinance lays out that felling protected or prohibited trees without permission will result in a fine of up to Tk 1,00,000 for individuals and up to Tk 3,00,000 for...

www.newagebd.net

Welcome forest ordinance, but enforcement is key

THE promulgation of an ordinance for preventing encroachment on and regulating forest land is a welcome and long-overdue step. The ordinance lays out that felling protected or prohibited trees without permission will result in a fine of up to Tk 1,00,000 for individuals and up to Tk 3,00,000 for organisations. A stringent enforcement of penalty for unauthorised tree felling and forest land grab and mandatory prior permission even in some cases of private tree felling would signal that forests can no longer be treated as expendable assets. The emphasis on compensatory afforestation, technology-based monitoring and the protection of customary forest rights of small ethnic groups in the Chattogram Hill Tracts are also positive features. At a time when the ecological balance is severely stressed, such legal reinforcement is necessary. Official figures report forest cover of 17.4 per cent, but experts put actual coverage near 10 per cent after excluding deforested and diverted land. Since 1940, 4.58 lakh acres of forest land have vanished, with 1.60 lakh transferred to government agencies and 2.87 lakh grabbed by powerful interests.

In such a situation, an ordinance that prohibits the use of natural forest land for non-forest purposes is an important corrective measure. However, laws alone cannot save forests if enforcement remains weak and selective. In the past, the authorities have consistently failed to protect not only forest land but also river land, water bodies and other public land, allowing illegal occupation to become entrenched. Sporadic eviction drives, often publicised with much fanfare, have proved ineffective in sustainable reclamation. Time and again, reclaimed land is reoccupied in weeks, sometimes by the same grabbers and sometimes by new ones, once official attention shifts elsewhere. The dangers faced by enforcement officials further expose the depth of the problem: forest officers have been killed during anti-encroachment operations, underscoring how criminalised and violent land grabbing has become. Without continuous monitoring, legal follow-up and protection for officials, the ordinance risks becoming yet another symbolic measure. More troubling is the state’s own role in undermining forest protection. Thousands of hectares have been allocated for development projects, including environmentally hazardous industries near sensitive ecosystems such as the Sunderbans. This development model has relegated environmental concerns to the margins, eroding both forest cover and rights of forest-dependent communities.


The government should, therefore, adopt more protective and proactive measures to make the ordinance meaningful. In doing so, the authorities need to ensure permanent boundary demarcation, transparent public disclosure of forest land records and sustained, not episodic, reclamation efforts backed by expeditious prosecution of offenders, regardless of their influence. Development planning should also be aligned with the principles of sustainable development.​

 

[Krishna with Flute]

Isha foundation planted 23 million trees in a single year. UN said that it is the biggest plantation drive of the world but sadguru said that it is not enough.

Vanishing urban greenery

Bangladesh's capital Dhaka has been ranked among the world's fastest-growing cities, accommodating around 21 per cent of the country's total population. According to the UN's World Urbanization Prospects 2025 report, Dhaka has become the world's second most populous city, after Jakarta of Indonesia

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Vanishing urban greenery

Shiabur Rahman
Published :
Jan 08, 2026 23:20
Updated :
Jan 08, 2026 23:20

View attachment 23620
Bangladesh's capital Dhaka has been ranked among the world's fastest-growing cities, accommodating around 21 per cent of the country's total population. According to the UN's World Urbanization Prospects 2025 report, Dhaka has become the world's second most populous city, after Jakarta of Indonesia, with an estimated 36.6 million dwellers out of the country's total population of 175 million. To accommodate the ever-growing population, Dhaka city area is expanding with every passing day. Urbanisation is desired in almost every nation as it offers significant benefits, primarily acting as a powerful engine for economic growth and improved quality of life through better access to jobs, services and infrastructure. But beneath Dhaka's urban expansion lies a big concern --- rapid loss of green space, the most critical life-giving components. Rapid expansion leads to the destruction of the city's green landscape and the reduction of wetlands and open spaces for construction of roads, buildings and infrastructures, causing the city's balance with the environment to reach a critical stage. Several recent studies found that Dhaka's green space is degrading both in extension and quality.

Greenery is not just an aesthetic feature in the urban landscape. Trees, green spaces, meadows and wetlands serve as the lungs, kidneys, and temperature control systems of a city. In the case of Dhaka, the urban density, which is among the highest in the world, such natural systems are critical. However, over the last several decades, Dhaka has seen the loss of a substantial area of its tree cover and wetlands because of urbanisation and the lack of proper implementation of environmental legislation.

The city authorities have made different efforts to increase the tree cover area, including planting trees, but some of them turned into a futile exercise. A research found that the city is not benefiting much from the new tree plantation as most of the species are not native to Bangladesh and invasive. Authorities probably choose these trees as they are quick-growing, easier to maintain and considered to be ornamental in nature. But in reality, these species do little to provide any shade, absorb carbon dioxide, support bird or insect life, or cool any part of the city. In reality, in some cases, they cause a reverse effect, consuming excessive groundwater or failing to survive for long.

The impact of reduced or low-quality greenery on the urban environment is already apparent. No wonder, Dhaka is ranked consistently high among the most polluted cities in terms of air quality. Though it is true that vehicle exhaust, dust and industrial pollutants play roles detrimental to it, inadequate greenery is no less damaging. Trees purify the air by arresting particulate matter and absorbing harmful gases. The purification process is affected when there is not enough greenery.

The effect of this environmental degradation is profound. Poor air is directly linked to respiratory diseases like asthma, bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. Cardiovascular diseases are also caused by the continuous intake of polluted air. According to health experts, thousands of people die prematurely each year in Dhaka as a result of air pollution.

To reverse the trend of declining greeneries in Dhaka, a mindset change is imperative. Green infrastructure should be considered vital public infrastructure and not a wish list. Urban forests, parks, and wetlands must be formally safeguarded and included in development plans. Tree-planting campaigns should be run every year to make people aware of the negative impacts of declining tree cover area. And authorities should focus on planting indigenous tree species like banyian, neem, jarul, and kadam since they grow well in the climate of Bangladesh, provide ample shade, and do not require much water.​

Here in Surat, lots of plantation happens. Government Nursery distributes lots of plants. An NGO with whom I am associated has planted 25000 trees this rainy season. I planted 4000+ trees this season.

 

[Saif]

I planted 4000+ trees this season.

Impressive.

 

[Saif]

Country turns unwelcoming to migratory birds

Wetland depletion driven by agricultural expansion, rapid urbanisation, commercial fish farming and pollution is degrading the habitats of migratory birds that arrive in Bangladesh each winter, researchers warn.

www.newagebd.net

Country turns unwelcoming to migratory birds

Sadiqur Rahman 12 January, 2026, 01:45

Wetland depletion driven by agricultural expansion, rapid urbanisation, commercial fish farming and pollution is degrading the habitats of migratory birds that arrive in Bangladesh each winter, researchers warn.

Officials of the Bangladesh Bird Club said that about 20 per cent fewer migratory birds arrived in the country in 2025 than in 2024.


‘Migratory birds are not getting the food they rely on,’ said the club’s general secretary ABM Sarowar Alam, also wildlife biologist at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Bangladesh.

Every winter, millions of birds travel thousands of kilometres through the Central Asian and East Asian–Australasian flyways, from Siberia and Central Asia to warmer parts of South Asia and beyond, according to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.

The journey depends on intact wetlands, riverine forests and coastal mangroves that serve as crucial stopover sites for rest and refuelling.

Bangladesh lies on both flyways and supports around 240 migratory bird species, including globally threatened ones such as the painted stork, spoon-billed sandpiper, Eurasian oystercatcher, Indian skimmer, great knot and greater spotted eagle, according to the IUCN Red List of Bangladesh.

Bangladeshi ornithologist Sayam U Chowdhury, a researcher at the Conservation Research Institute of the University of Cambridge, said that the shrunk and polluted water bodies were destroying habitats and food resources during the birds’ non-breeding season.

Sarowar said the wetlands for migratory birds were decreasing as haor basins were leased out for commercial fish farming, while low-lying ridges were increasingly used for cattle and poultry rearing.

A joint Bangladesh Bird Club–IUCN study found that Tanguar Haor witnessed 59 migratory bird species between 2008 and 2021.

Another study published in 2021 found that about one-third of shallow-water area of Tanguar Haor was converted into agricultural land between 1989 and 2017.

Along the coast, mudflats are being transformed into hard land through afforestation and climate-related processes, Sarowar said.

A 2025 study identified unplanned fishing, tourism, agricultural expansion, hunting and pollution as major threats for migratory birds in south-central coastal areas.

Sayam U Chowdhury said protecting migratory water birds required stronger management of both freshwater and coastal wetlands.

‘Conservation efforts must protect remaining wetlands, restore degraded ones, and balance biodiversity needs with food production and climate resilience,’ he said.

As part of contributing to conservation-related policymaking, the Bangladesh Bird Club and IUCN launched a coastal bird survey on January 10, while surveys in haor areas and the Sundarbans are expected to be completed by February, said Sarowar.​

 

[Saif]

Modernising data protection laws

Data are what a piece of information is made of. So, it is important that data on any subject are well-preserved and protected; and the information they generate is also well-preserved and protected. In this Digital Age, which started from the mid-20th century and is ongoing, protection of data is

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Protecting the deep-sea ecosystem of the Bay

MIR MOSTAFIZUR RAHAMAN
Published :
Jan 13, 2026 00:24
Updated :
Jan 13, 2026 00:24
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The deep sea is often imagined as distant, dark and detached from everyday life. In reality, it is one of the planet's most vital ecological frontiers -- and in the Bay of Bengal it is now under serious threat. Bangladesh's deep-sea ecosystem, once resilient and largely unexplored, is showing unmistakable signs of stress from overfishing, aggressive industrial practices and pervasive plastic pollution. The consequences of ignoring these warning signals could be profound, not only for marine biodiversity but for food security, livelihoods and the long-term health of the ocean itself.

Recent findings by marine researchers paint a troubling picture. The excessive proliferation of jellyfish in deep waters, observed during surveys, is not a natural curiosity but a biological alarm bell. Jellyfish blooms are widely recognised as indicators of ecological imbalance, often emerging when fish populations decline and predators disappear. According to researchers, the phenomenon in the Bay of Bengal is closely linked to overfishing -- particularly the removal of large fish species that once played a critical role in maintaining ecological equilibrium.

Equally alarming is the discovery of plastic waste at depths of up to 2,000 metres. Plastic pollution is no longer confined to coastlines or surface waters; it has infiltrated the deepest reaches of the ocean. This finding underlines a harsh truth: there are now virtually no marine environments untouched by human activity. Microplastics and debris disrupt food chains, introduce toxins into marine organisms and compromise the very foundations of ocean life.

The decline in deep-sea biodiversity is not speculative. A comparison with a 2018 study reveals a sharp reduction in large fish species in deep waters, while stocks in shallow coastal areas are falling at what officials describe as an "alarming" rate. These trends are interconnected. When deep-sea stocks are depleted, fishing pressure intensifies closer to shore, accelerating the collapse of coastal ecosystems and placing small-scale fishers in direct competition with industrial fleets.

At the heart of this crisis lies the rapid expansion of industrial deep-sea fishing. Between 270 and 280 large trawlers are currently operating in Bangladesh's deep waters, around 70 of them using sonar-based targeted fishing. This method, which allows vessels to locate and harvest fish with extreme precision, is highly efficient -- and highly destructive. It strips ecosystems of biomass faster than they can recover, leaving little chance for regeneration.

For large operators, sonar-guided fishing translates into higher profits and shorter voyages. For small-scale fishers, it is an existential threat. Coastal communities depend on shallow waters for their livelihoods, and when industrial fleets vacuum up fish stocks offshore, the ripple effects reach villages and markets alike. As one official warned, if targeted sonar fishing continues unchecked, the Bay of Bengal could be stripped of fish. This is not hyperbole; it is a plausible outcome rooted in ecological reality.

The tragedy is that Bangladesh is not short of warnings -- only of decisive action. Scientists and experts have repeatedly called for urgent, research-driven policy intervention. Yet regulation has lagged behind technological change, allowing aggressive fishing practices to expand largely unchecked. The government now faces a narrow window to act. Decisions on regulating sonar fishing cannot be delayed without risking irreversible damage to marine ecosystems.

Protecting the deep sea requires more than reactive bans or temporary moratoriums. It demands a coherent, science-based governance framework that recognises the deep ocean as a shared ecological asset, not an open-access resource to be exploited until exhaustion. This means setting clear limits on fishing effort, restricting or banning destructive technologies, and enforcing compliance through monitoring and penalties.

However, regulation alone will not suffice without knowledge. One of the most critical weaknesses exposed by the current crisis is Bangladesh's failure to strengthen its marine research capacity. Despite having a vast maritime area, the country has invested relatively little in sustained deep-sea research. Baseline data on species diversity, population dynamics and ecosystem health remain fragmented and incomplete. Without robust scientific evidence, policy decisions risk being reactive, politicised or ineffective.

Deep-sea research is expensive, but ignorance is costlier. Investing in research vessels, oceanographic surveys and long-term monitoring programmes is not a luxury; it is a prerequisite for responsible stewardship. Partnerships with regional and international research institutions could accelerate capacity building, while training a new generation of marine scientists would ensure that expertise is homegrown and sustained.

Plastic pollution presents another challenge that cannot be ignored. The presence of plastic waste at extreme depths exposes the inadequacy of current waste management systems on land. Rivers act as conveyor belts, carrying discarded plastics from cities and towns directly into the sea. Tackling deep-sea pollution therefore requires an integrated approach -- reducing plastic production, improving waste collection and recycling, and enforcing regulations on industrial discharge.

The Bay of Bengal is particularly vulnerable because it is semi-enclosed and heavily influenced by riverine inputs. What is dumped upstream eventually settles downstream, often far from sight but not from impact. Plastic fragments ingested by deep-sea organisms re-enter the food chain, with unknown but potentially serious implications for human health.

There is also a broader moral dimension to the deep-sea crisis. The ocean floor is one of the last frontiers on Earth, home to species and ecosystems that have evolved over millennia. To degrade these environments for short-term gain is to impoverish future generations. The benefits of deep-sea exploitation accrue to a few, while the costs -- ecological collapse, loss of livelihoods, food insecurity -- are borne by many.

Bangladesh's experience reflects a global pattern. Across the world, deep-sea ecosystems are being opened up to industrial extraction faster than science can keep pace. But Bangladesh has an opportunity to chart a different course -- one that balances economic needs with ecological responsibility. The country's maritime boundary, secured through international arbitration, was a hard-won achievement. Preserving what lies within it should be treated with equal seriousness.

A sustainable future for the Bay of Bengal depends on political will. The government must act swiftly to regulate sonar-based fishing, limit the number and capacity of deep-sea trawlers, and prioritise the protection of vulnerable ecosystems. At the same time, it must invest in research, strengthen enforcement and engage coastal communities as partners in conservation.

Small-scale fishers are not the enemies of sustainability; they are its natural allies. Their survival depends on healthy oceans, and their knowledge of local ecosystems is invaluable. Policies that marginalise them in favour of industrial fleets are not only unjust but environmentally self-defeating.

The warning signs from the deep sea are already visible -- jellyfish blooms, vanishing fish stocks, plastic at abyssal depths. The question is whether they will be heeded. Protecting the deep-sea ecosystem of the Bay of Bengal is not simply an environmental imperative; it is a test of governance, foresight and intergenerational responsibility. If Bangladesh fails this test, the cost will be measured not only in lost species, but in lost futures.​