KU participates in int’l research seminar in Netherlands

Khulna University (KU) has established an important international academic collaboration with Utrecht University and Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands.

Through this initiative called ‘Cultures of Adaptation Network (CAN),’ joint activities have been conducted in education and research on climate change, adaptation, livelihoods, migration and social resilience in the coastal region of Bangladesh since last year.

This international partnership has been further strengthened with the initiative and support of Dr. Biswajit Mallick, an alumnus of Khulna University and currently an associate professor at Utrecht University.

In continuation of this, Khulna University is currently working as one of the strategic partners of CAN.

As part of this collaboration, a two-day international research seminar titled ‘Bangladesh: Climate and Development’ is being held at Utrecht University, Netherlands from June 30 to July 1 at the initiative of CAN. A five-member delegation led by Khulna University Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Md. Rezaul Karim is participating in it.

The other members of the delegation are Professor Dr. Md. Nazmus Sadat of Forestry and Wood Technology Discipline, Professor Dr. Md. Nasif Ahsan of Economics Discipline, Professor Dr. Md. Ashiq Ur Rahman of Urban and Rural Planning Discipline and Assistant Professor Shapla Singha of Drawing and Painting Discipline.

Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Md. Rezaul Karim spoke as a special guest at the inaugural ceremony of the seminar today (Tuesday) June 30.

He said, “Climate change is no longer a prediction of the future, it is now our reality. Billions of people in Bangladesh are feeling its impact every day through floods, cyclones, river erosion, salinity expansion, heat waves and sea level rise.

Climate change is not just an environmental issue, it is a question of people’s livelihoods, food and water security, education, health and above all, our future.

He said that Khulna University is located near the world’s largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, which is one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions.

Every cyclone, every tidal wave and every increase in salinity directly affects the lives of the people in this region.

The Vice-Chancellor said that Khulna University has planned to establish an offshore campus in Paikgachha, adjacent to the Sundarbans.

This campus will be developed as a ‘living lab’, where researchers from different countries of the world will have the opportunity to conduct direct field-level research on coastal ecosystems, climate change impacts, biodiversity and adaptation strategies.

He expressed hope that this offshore campus will play an important role as an effective platform for knowledge exchange between international researchers, students and various institutions through practical research.