Tree planting must be turned into a sustainable social movement through coordinated work, said Sheikh Faridul Islam, State Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

He made the remarks while presiding over the third meeting of the support task force of the National Tree Plantation Cell, formed to implement the "25 crore trees in five years" programme, at the ministry's conference room in the Secretariat on 7 September.

The state minister said tree planting must become a lasting social movement to tackle the adverse effects of climate change, conserve biodiversity and protect the country's environmental balance. All relevant ministries, divisions, departments, agencies and public and private institutions must work together to make the programme a success.

He said increasing the number of saplings planted is not enough; the care, maintenance and survival of every sapling must be ensured.

The meeting was told that 5 crore 14 lakh 88 thousand 930 saplings are planned for planting in 2026. Of these, about 3 crore 82 lakh are to come from saplings raised by the agencies themselves and about 1 crore 33 lakh from saplings bought with their own funds.

Ministries, divisions and agencies are planting according to their targets. In addition, according to the NGO Affairs Bureau, NGOs have planted 25 lakh saplings, which will be added to the main database once location data are available. The meeting heard that this year's target will be met with the planting of mangrove species in coastal areas in December.

The state minister said native fruit, timber and medicinal species suited to local weather, soil and ecology should be given priority. Planting should be planned on suitable land beside rivers, canals, embankments, roads and railways, and effective measures taken to protect the saplings.

Saplings damaged by disasters or other causes must be replaced quickly. The meeting also stressed that the ministries and agencies concerned should prepare four-year maintenance and care plans for their plantings and send them to the ministry.

Shamima Begum, Additional Secretary (Administration) of the ministry, attended, along with representatives of the Local Government Division, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Secondary and Higher Education Division, the Technical and Madrasah Education Division, the Rural Development and Cooperatives Division, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, Housing and Public Works, the Home Ministry, the Defence Ministry, the NGO Affairs Bureau, the Road Transport and Highways Division, the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Ministry of Railways, the Bridges Division and the Forest Department.

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