As Bangladesh launches the National Tree Plantation Campaign and Tree Fair 2025, environmentalists rightly warn that the initiative risks missing its mark unless it embraces a climate-resilient, ecosystem-based approach.
While the scale of the campaign — with millions of saplings planted — is impressive, its focus remains disproportionately on terrestrial zones such as parks, highways, and institutional grounds. Our newspaper reported on Wednesday that this leaves behind the nation’s most climate-vulnerable regions: its coasts and mangrove ecosystems.
With over 711 kilometres of coastline and nearly 40 million people living in 19 coastal districts, Bangladesh’s exposure to climate threats like cyclones, sea-level rise, and saltwater intrusion is well-documented. Yet, experts such as Professor Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumdar and Zakir Hossain Khan highlight a glaring omission — the campaign largely ignores mangrove forests and degraded coastal belts, which are critical for climate adaptation and disaster resilience.
Mangroves are not only natural storm barriers — capable of reducing storm surges by up to 66 per cent — but also some of the planet’s most effective carbon sinks, absorbing up to four times more carbon than tropical rainforests. Despite these well-known benefits, Bangladesh’s current afforestation strategy devotes scant attention to regenerating its mangrove cover, particularly outside the Sundarbans.
This oversight is not just ecological — it is economic. Global carbon markets are expanding rapidly, and blue carbon initiatives, such as mangrove restoration, offer Bangladesh a unique opportunity to tap into international climate finance. As Zakir Hossain Khan noted, restoring and protecting mangrove belts could generate revenue through carbon credits, while bolstering biodiversity, fisheries, and local livelihoods.
A truly forward-thinking tree campaign must go beyond visible urban greenery and embrace a comprehensive afforestation model. Experts recommend allocating at least 30 per cent of resources to coastal and marine zones, involving local communities in forest stewardship, and integrating blue carbon strategies into national climate planning.
While the current campaign reflects strong national intent, its impact will remain limited if it fails to prioritise frontline climate defences. Planting more trees is not enough — we must plant the right species, in the right ecosystems, for the right climate goals.
Bangladesh’s leadership in climate vulnerability must now translate into leadership in climate-smart afforestation. The time for a course correction is now. A greener future depends not on the number of trees planted, but on their power to protect the nation.
