Syeda Rizwana Hasan, adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has directed that the planting of eucalyptus and acacia (akashmoni) seedlings for roadside social forestry be stopped.

She said the Forest Department will no longer plant eucalyptus or acacia. Trees other than these two species must be preserved in roadside social forestry. Biodiversity rules and guidelines will be drawn up to protect biodiversity, and students must be involved in forest and wildlife work at range office level.

She gave the directions at a special meeting at the Forest Department in Agargaon in the capital on Tuesday, 12 November.

The environment adviser said management committees must be formed for Lathitila, Chunati, Satchari and Lawachara. Eco-tourism and picnics must be stopped in these forests, and music must be stopped too, so that the forests can keep their natural environment.

Illegal occupation of forest land must be cleared, and no lobbying will be tolerated, she said. Conflicts with forest dwellers must be resolved, and harassing cases against the Garo community must be stopped.

The adviser also told officials to take effective steps on the strategic plan, gender policy, grievance redress system and publishing project information.

Additional secretaries ASM Humayun Kabir and Dr Fahmida Khanam, Joint Secretary (Forest) Shamima Begum and Chief Conservator of Forests Md Amir Hosain Chowdhury, along with senior Forest Department officials, attended the meeting.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.