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

[Saif]

Bangladesh among finalists for AI climate award

Five innovative AI-powered climate solutions from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Tanzania, and Mali have been selected as finalists for the 2026 AI for Climate Action Award, hosted by the UN Climate Change Technology Mechanism in partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). The fin

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Bangladesh among finalists for AI climate award

Five innovative AI-powered climate solutions from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Tanzania, and Mali have been selected as finalists for the 2026 AI for Climate Action Award, hosted by the UN Climate Change Technology Mechanism in partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

The finalists will showcase their innovations at the AI for Climate Action Forum 2026, taking place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on 13–14 October, where the Award winner will be announced.

The Award recognises innovative, locally driven applications of artificial intelligence supporting climate change mitigation and adaptation in least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS).

It aims to give greater visibility to practical solutions that respond to local climate challenges, while helping connect innovators with the partnerships, expertise and support needed to take promising technologies further.

“AI can fast track climate action but only if it is used with purpose and responsibility,” said Simon Stiell, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary “We're already facing a two-speed global transition. AI must help us bridge that divide not widen it.

The five finalists highlight the growing potential for AI innovation developed in and for developing countries, and the importance of ensuring that emerging technologies are accessible, affordable and adapted to local needs.

Among the five finalists, Climate Action Copilot – Bangladesh — uses AI and geospatial data to identify climate-vulnerable communities and infrastructure, helping governments prioritize cost-effective adaptation investments.

Launched in 2024, the UNFCCC Technology Mechanism AI for Climate Action (AICA) Award recognizes innovative, open-source AI solutions that support climate change adaptation and mitigation, with a particular focus on least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS).

The Award showcases locally relevant innovations with the potential to strengthen climate resilience, reduce emissions and be scaled up or replicated in other climate-vulnerable countries. In 2025, it attracted more than 600 submissions from 110 countries, highlighting the growing potential of AI to support climate action.

The 2026 Award is hosted by the UNFCCC Technology Executive Committee (TEC) and the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN), which together comprise the UNFCCC Technology Mechanism, in partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

AI for Climate Action Forum 2026

Organized by the UNFCCC Technology Executive Committee (TEC), in partnership with KOICA and the Royal Government of Cambodia, the two-day Forum will bring together policymakers, researchers, innovators, technology experts, development partners and practitioners to explore how AI can support practical climate action in developing countries.

Hosted under the UN Climate Change Technology Mechanism Initiative on AI for Climate Action, the Forum will focus on translating the potential of AI into tangible mitigation and adaptation solutions, while addressing the governance, capacity, finance and partnerships needed for responsible and inclusive deployment.

Key areas of discussion include

Practical climate solutions showcasing locally developed AI applications for mitigation and adaptation, sharing experiences from developing countries and exploring how promising innovations can move beyond pilots towards wider implementation.

Access and inclusion include exploring how developing countries can develop, access and benefit from AI technologies, including the institutional capacity, skills, data and digital infrastructure needed to ensure solutions respond to national and local priorities.

Responsible and sustainable AI include addressing the environmental and social risks associated with AI, including energy and resource consumption, data governance and equitable access.

Discussions will consider efficient, fit-for-purpose AI applications and ways to reduce their environmental footprint.

National approaches and enabling conditions include examining how policy frameworks, institutional coordination and national approaches can support the responsible development and deployment of AI for climate action.

AI for Climate Action Award will showcase the five finalists, highlighting their practical innovations and announcing the 2026 winner.

In a video message to the Forum, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell stresses the importance of deploying AI with purpose and responsibility, ensuring its benefits reach developing countries while reducing its own environmental footprint.​

 

[Saif]

Why restoring Chakaria Sundarbans is essential

Chakaria Sundarbans, once a blessing for Bangladesh’s coastal environment, mainly covered parts of the Dulahazara and Badarkhali areas. Although its destruction began with the establishment of settlements, the forest was cleared primarily to make way for shrimp farming. The World Bank, the...

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Why restoring Chakaria Sundarbans is essential

Chakaria Sundarbans, the country’s second-largest mangrove forest, was destroyed in the 1980s by the expansion of the shrimp trade. Restoring it is vital to our very survival for many reasons, including protection against cyclones and the effects of climate change.

Khalilullah

An NGO had planted 80,000 bain (Avicennia alba) trees across 25 acres on a trial basis along the Badarkhali Channel in Chakaria Sundarbans Prothom Alo

Chakaria Sundarbans, once a blessing for Bangladesh’s coastal environment, mainly covered parts of the Dulahazara and Badarkhali areas.

Although its destruction began with the establishment of settlements, the forest was cleared primarily to make way for shrimp farming.

The World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and groups of influential local interests all contributed to its destruction in pursuit of their respective interests.

Grameen Bank, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning institution, also established an aquaculture project on 10 acres of land divided into 30 plots, which remains in operation today.

Chakaria Sundarbans was one of the oldest mangrove forests in the subcontinent. In the 1950s, it covered approximately 21,102 acres.

Subsequently, the authorities declared 18,508 acres as reserved forest and designated the remaining area as protected forest. Today, only a single sundari tree survives. On 24 July 2025, Prothom Alo published an investigative report titled “Chakaria Sundarbans: A mangrove forest killed by aid and greed”.

The process of leasing out Chakaria Sundarbans began in 1977. In 1985, the Ershad government accelerated the forest’s destruction by introducing a shrimp farming policy.

Under this policy, the authorities could lease any forest land suitable for shrimp farming to interested parties.

Researchers believe that if Chakaria Sundarbans had remained intact, the 1991 cyclone would not have claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in a single night.

Initiatives to restore the forest

On 28 March this year, Prothom Alo organised a discussion at the Chakaria upazila parishad conference room to explore ways to restore Chakaria Sundarbans.

The meeting brought together Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman, forestry professors, experts, officials from relevant government departments and representatives of local civil society.

As someone who attended the discussion, I witnessed participants pledge their support for restoring the destroyed forest. Prothom Alo also published a special full-page supplement, highlighting the key points raised at the meeting.

The good news is that, according to a report published by Prothom Alo on 21 September under the headline “Hope for reviving Chakaria Sundarbans”, an NGO had planted 80,000 bain (Avicennia alba) trees across 25 acres along the Badarkhali Channel in Chakaria Sundarbans.

The survival rate of the bain trees has been encouraging. In June this year, another 40,000 bain trees were planted across a further 25 acres of the forest.

However, the ecosystem must first return to a healthy, natural state before large-scale tree planting can begin. The land must therefore be recovered before restoration efforts can proceed. For this reason, strong government intervention is particularly important.

According to Prothom Alo, Shaikh Faridul Islam, state minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, said that although various organisations had received leases for land in the Chakaria Sundarbans area, 4,000 acres of forest land remained recorded in the name of the Forest Department. The government’s first priority is to reclaim this land.

Because the authorities have failed to demarcate land leased by the ministries responsible for fisheries, agriculture and land, leaseholders have also encroached on land belonging to the Forest Department. The government plans to cancel the other leases after reclaiming the forest land.

The question now is whether this process will fall victim to bureaucratic red tape.

Coexistence can offer a solution

Since the 1980s, Bangladesh’s shrimp industry has become part of the global supply chain. The existing global supply chain model, however, often encourages aggressive commercial practices.

Yet shrimp farming could have continued alongside the Sundarbans. Instead, Chakaria Sundarbans fell victim to the relentless pursuit of profit by those involved in the industry.

In the 1980s, shrimp ranked second only to the garment industry among Bangladesh’s export sectors. There is no doubt that the substantial profits from shrimp farming improved the financial circumstances of many people at the local level.

However, the industry has caused far more harm. Shrimp farming has contributed to numerous socioeconomic and environmental problems, including forest destruction, ecological imbalance, local disputes and conflicts, the leasing of land belonging to small-scale fish farmers, and the loss of land rights among poor local residents.

Although various organisations had received leases for land in the Chakaria Sundarbans area, 4,000 acres of forest land remained recorded in the name of the Forest Department. The government’s first priority is to reclaim this land.

Shaikh Faridul Islam, state minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Researchers believe these problems could have been reduced if shrimp farming had maintained ecological balance rather than destroying the entire ecosystem.

Discussions with experts and local residents at a meeting organised by Prothom Alo in Chakaria on 28 March, along with consultations with other specialists, suggest that shrimp farming and mangrove forests can coexist through a system known as “silvofishery”. However, those involved must abandon the mindset of trying to take everything for themselves.

A roundtable discussion at the Prothom Alo office on 10 September also highlighted mangrove-based shrimp farming as a potential solution. Rising temperatures caused by climate change have increased shrimp mortality under conventional farming methods to 64 per cent.

However, maintaining mangrove vegetation around shrimp enclosures can lower temperatures and reduce the mortality rate to 50 per cent. Participants said trials of this method across 100 hectares in Paikgachha, Khulna, had produced these results.

At the discussion, however, Mohammad Amir Hosain Chowdhury, chief conservator of Forests at the Forest Department, recommended implementing this mangrove-based system outside the natural mangrove forests of the Sundarbans.

In other words, the authorities should test the method at a new location rather than in areas where natural Sundarbans forests still survive.

Chakaria Sundarbans would be an ideal site for such an initiative, as we have a responsibility to make amends for the historical damage inflicted on this forest.

In his 1926 study, “The Flora of Chakaria Sundarbans”, James Cowan listed 53 plant species found in the forest. Chakaria Sundarbans once provided a habitat for tigers, deer and numerous bird species. It also served as a breeding ground for fish.

The destruction of the forest has depleted local fish stocks. Restoring the forest would help lost wildlife return, increase marine fish breeding and maintain ecological balance.

The mangroves of the Sundarbans act as a natural barrier protecting coastal areas. Understandably, the coastal areas of Chakaria and Pekua face considerable risks from cyclones and storm surges.

Researchers believe that if Chakaria Sundarbans had remained intact, the 1991 cyclone would not have claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in a single night.

Local residents who attended the discussion organised by Prothom Alo in Chakaria also said that the damage would have been considerably less if the forest survived. That cyclone struck the Cox’s Bazar and Chattogram regions particularly hard.

Experts believe that restoring Chakaria Sundarbans would help reduce the speed of powerful winds and protect nearby communities from the impact of storm surges.

In its 21 September report, Prothom Alo identified four challenges to restoring Chakaria Sundarbans: leaseholders’ reluctance, disruption to tidal flows caused by embankments around polders and shrimp farms, soil degradation resulting from years of salt exposure and shrimp farming and changes to the natural flow of water.

Restoring the forest is essential for our survival

Scientists have repeatedly warned that climate change and global warming will increase the intensity and frequency of cyclones in the future. Coastal forests are therefore essential to protecting people and other living creatures.

Scientists also recommend creating new forests beyond those that already exist. Yet we continue to destroy forests one after another. Restoring Chakaria Sundarbans, which once covered an area of 30 square kilometres, is therefore essential to our survival.

Mangrove forests can absorb far more carbon dioxide than ordinary forests. At a time of rising global temperatures, Chakaria Sundarbans could help keep local temperatures at tolerable levels by absorbing carbon from the atmosphere.

According to recent research, coastal mangroves, including the Sundarbans, store at least 150 megatonnes of carbon per hectare. Based on this estimate, Chakaria Sundarbans, which covered approximately 8,498 hectares, could have stored 1,274,700 metric tonnes of carbon.

Mangrove forests serve as important carbon sinks and rank among the most effective coastal carbon ecosystems. Their destruction therefore causes two forms of harm simultaneously. When trees are cut down, the carbon they would have stored is released, compounding the damage.

Climate scientists consider diverse mangrove forests one of the key ways to strengthen resilience against the potential rise in sea levels caused by climate change. Mangroves also play a vital role in increasing land elevation through biogenic processes.

Coastal erosion, cyclones and other disasters cause extensive damage to coastal housing, fuel and sanitation systems, transport networks and infrastructure as a whole. Chakaria Sundarbans is essential to protecting these assets.

Researchers say mangrove forests reduce both the speed and the force of storm surges and strong winds. Coastal mangrove forests not only store carbon but also supply dissolved organic carbon to the sea.

Restoring the forest would provide sources of food, water, fish, grazing land for livestock, fuel, construction materials, medicines, wild foods, honey, grass and marine food resources.

These benefits would strengthen the local economy. Ecotourism could also develop around the restored forest, creating further economic opportunities.

Restoring Chakaria Sundarbans is not merely a matter of environmental activism; it is a struggle for our survival. We must learn from the extensive loss of life and property caused by the 1991 cyclone, when Chakaria Sundarbans no longer stood to protect the coast. Rebuilding this forest is essential to safeguarding the future of the next generation.

Discussions with experts and local residents at a meeting organised by Prothom Alo in Chakaria on 28 March, along with consultations with other specialists, suggest that shrimp farming and mangrove forests can coexist through a system known as “silvofishery”.

Challenges to restoring the forest

In its 21 September report, Prothom Alo identified four challenges to restoring Chakaria Sundarbans: leaseholders’ reluctance, disruption to tidal flows caused by embankments around polders and shrimp farms, soil degradation resulting from years of salt exposure and shrimp farming and changes to the natural flow of water.

However, several other challenges stand in the way of restoring Chakaria Sundarbans. One of the most significant is the international market for shrimp.

As mentioned earlier, the World Bank jointly implemented a shrimp farming project with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the 1980s.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) also ran a separate project. Although the World Bank withdrew amid criticism at the time, it resumed investment in shrimp farming across 14 coastal districts in 2018 under the Sustainable Coastal and Marine Fisheries Project (The Daily Star, 14 July 2026).

Another major challenge is the extensive industrialisation of Maheshkhali Island. Many trees have already been cut during the construction of the Matarbari coal-fired power plant.

In addition, forest clearance continues to make way for the Matarbari Port Access Road. Has anyone sought expert advice on how to carry out these projects without destroying the forest?

Many countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America have successfully restored lost mangrove forests. The key condition, however, is to restore the ecosystem of the area where the forest once stood to its original state.

This allows the mangrove forest to regenerate naturally. Political will, however, remains the most critical factor in achieving this goal.

During a visit to the Chakaria area, I learnt that most people across several generations were unaware that a vast forest known as Chakaria Sundarbans had once existed there.

However, as the issue has recently attracted media attention, future generations may learn that Chakaria Sundarbans could not be restored despite the availability of solutions. And the reason is lack of political will.​

 

[Saif]

Sundarbans: 39pc Sundari trees affected by disease

The multidimensional study, titled Ecological Monitoring of Sundarbans, was conducted by the Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS), an organisation affiliated with the Ministry of Water Resources, and the Arannayk Foundation. The research covered wildlife, air...

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Sundarbans: 39pc Sundari trees affected by disease

The research covered wildlife, air, soil, water and tree resources in the Sundarbans. The findings were presented at a workshop at the Forest Department’s headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka, on 14 September. The study provides a detailed picture of the plight of Sundari trees.

Mostafa Yusuf
Dhaka

Sundari trees affected by top-dying disease in the Sundarbans. Photo taken recently. Swapan Sarkar

Four out of every 10 Sundari trees (39 per cent) in the Sundarbans are affected by top-dying disease. The number of affected Sundari trees now stands at 129.5 million. Of them, 20.24 million are severely affected.

The Sundarbans now has around 330 million Sundari trees. The rate of natural seedling regeneration per hectare has also declined in the world’s largest mangrove forest. As a result, the Sundarbans’ carbon absorption capacity has fallen by 15 per cent. These findings emerged from a two-year study (2024–25) on the overall ecosystem of the Sundarbans.

The multidimensional study, titled Ecological Monitoring of Sundarbans, was conducted by the Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS), an organisation affiliated with the Ministry of Water Resources, and the Arannayk Foundation.

The research covered wildlife, air, soil, water and tree resources in the Sundarbans. The findings were presented at a workshop at the Forest Department’s headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka, on 14 September. The study provides a detailed picture of the plight of Sundari trees.

Researchers fear that the forest cover, carbon storage capacity, and habitats and distribution of wildlife in the Sundarbans may change. When top-dying disease strikes, it initially affects the leaves of Sundari trees. The branches and twigs then dry out, eventually destroying the main trunk. Experts have attributed the decline of this important tree species to rising salinity, reduced freshwater flow, sediment deposition, changes in tidal patterns and climate change.

Not all affected trees in the Sundarbans suffer from the disease to the same degree. The percentage of infection is determined by how far the disease has spread, from the leaves to the main trunk.

The study was conducted by Dr Swapan Kumar, a professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology. He told Prothom Alo that 120 permanent survey plots had been established in the Sundarbans since 1986. After identifying changes in the trees in these plots and following a specific methodology, the researchers estimated the number of affected trees.

He said the incidence of top-dying disease had declined somewhat compared with 1986, but the number of severely affected trees had increased. The rate of infection is higher in areas with high and moderate salinity.

Further research is needed to determine how the large number of trees affected by top-dying disease is affecting the forest, its wildlife and the overall ecosystem.

Over 20 million trees severely affected

Not all affected trees in the Sundarbans suffer from the disease to the same degree. The percentage of infection is determined by how far the disease has spread, from the leaves to the main trunk. For example, a tree whose leaves and branches are affected to a limited extent is considered to have less than 25 per cent infection.

According to the study data, 83.03 million trees have less than 25 per cent infection.

The incidence of top-dying disease had declined somewhat compared with 1986, but the number of severely affected trees had increased. The rate of infection is higher in areas with high and moderate salinity----Swapan Kumar, Professor, Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, SUST.

Another 25.08 million trees have infection levels of 25 to 50 per cent, affecting their leaves and branches extensively. A total of 20.24 million trees have more than 50 per cent infection, meaning their leaves, branches and main trunks are affected. According to the study, around 200 million of the Sundarbans’ 330 million trees are healthy.

Professor Swapan Kumar said, “In 1986, the number of severely affected trees was 11.92 million. It has now reached 20.24 million. This is a matter of concern. We need to monitor these trends over the long term and find solutions.”

The study identified salinity as one of the most serious threats to the ecological health of the Sundarbans. It said the central and western parts of the forest face a high risk of salinity. The problem is worsening due to reduced upstream water flow, rising sea levels and variations in rainfall.

Areas where the disease is spreading most

For the study, the Sundarbans was divided into 53 compartments. Among these, the highest levels of top-dying disease were recorded in the Patkostam, Kaga Dobeki and Gewakhali areas of the Khulna Range.

The density of seedlings per hectare in the Sundarbans is declining. According to the study, the forest had 2,689 seedlings per hectare in 1986. By 2022, the figure had fallen to 776. Over 36 years, seedling density declined by around 71 per cent. This indicates that the Sundarbans is losing its capacity for natural regeneration.

The areas with the second-highest levels of infection were Dobeki in the Satkhira Range, Harbaria in the Chandpai Range, Charaputia and Kokilmoni in the Sharankhola Range.

In January 1988, British botanist and University of Aberdeen professor Eric Boa conducted a study titled Symptoms and Causes of Top-Dying. That study identified rising salinity as a possible cause.

According to Professor Swapan Kumar, although the disease is more prevalent in areas with high salinity, it has not yet been scientifically established that salinity alone is responsible. Further long-term research is needed.

The density of seedlings per hectare in the Sundarbans is declining. According to the study, the forest had 2,689 seedlings per hectare in 1986. By 2022, the figure had fallen to 776. Over 36 years, seedling density declined by around 71 per cent. This indicates that the Sundarbans is losing its capacity for natural regeneration. The forest’s above-ground biomass (AGB) has declined by 15 per cent over the past three decades.

Asked about the findings, Chief Conservator of Forests Md Amir Hosain Chowdhury told Prothom Alo that this was the first baseline study of the Sundarbans covering the periods before and after independence.

He further said that top-dying has been a centuries-old problem in the Sundarbans. To tackle it, the Bangladesh Forest Research Institute (BFRI) identified and felled affected trees in the 1980s and the early 1990s. The assumption was that the disease would not spread to healthy trees. However, the method proved ineffective and was later discontinued, he said.

No continuous research

Experts say it is not possible to determine whether Sundari trees will survive in the long term, how the replacement of Sundari trees by other species is affecting the Sundarbans ecosystem, or what impact these changes are having on wildlife. The main reason is the lack of continuous academic or government-led research on the Sundarbans.

Professor Khaled Misbahuzzaman of the Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences at the University of Chittagong told Prothom Alo that Sundari trees appear at the final stage of plant succession in the Sundarbans. In other words, Sundari seedlings are the last to grow in open areas of the forest. This is why the species is known as a climax species. It is also the dominant tree species in the Sundarbans.

In some areas that previously had a much higher concentration of Sundari trees, natural regeneration of smaller tree species such as Singra and Amur is now being observed. In addition, the spread of Gewa trees is increasing in some areas where Sundari trees once predominated, he added.

He said understanding the effects of these changes was essential to saving the Sundarbans. He expressed hope that the government and the Forest Department would give serious consideration to the need for continuous research.​