Bangladesh to introduce technology-driven forest monitoring: Rizwana
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan today said Bangladesh is moving towards technology-driven forest monitoring to curb illegal logging and resource trafficking.
“Satellite imagery, drone technology, and advanced data systems will soon be engaged to strengthen surveillance of the country’s forests,” she said.
The Adviser made the remarks while presiding over a meeting on online monitoring of the Rema-Kalenga reserved forest at the ministry’s conference room at the secretariat here.
Rizwana, also Adviser to the Ministry of Water Resources, said satellite images from 2015, 2020, and 2025 of the Rema-Kalenga, Satchhari, and Lathitila reserved forests will be analyzed with the assistance of the Bangladesh Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization (SPARRSO) to identify changes in forest areas over time.
In addition, high-resolution images will be collected from the Ministry of Land, and support from the Survey of Bangladesh will be sought to deploy high-capacity drones, she added.
She said the Forest Department will soon begin surveying and numbering “mother trees” in the Rema-Kalenga reserved forest. Trained staff under the SUFAL project will be engaged in this activity, she added.
The Adviser further said mother tree identification will gradually be expanded to all forest areas across the country with support from divisional forest officers.
Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser in charge of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, said challenges faced by the Forest Department in introducing technology-based monitoring will be identified and addressed with assistance from relevant government agencies.
He added that experts will be engaged to implement the initiative.
The meeting was attended by Dr. Farhina Ahmed, Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Shamima Begum, Joint Secretary (Forest); Md. Amir Hossain Chowdhury, Chief Conservator of Forests; Md. Rakibul Hasan Mukul, Deputy Chief Conservator of Forests; and senior officials from the Ministry, the Forest Department, and the ICT Division.