Gazi Anowar :
As Bangladesh inaugurates the National Tree Plantation Campaign and Tree Fair 2025, environmental experts have expressed serious concern that the initiative lacks a climate-resilient strategy, particularly for coastal and marine ecosystems.
Despite its large-scale ambition-planting over 12 million saplings in 2023-the campaign remains primarily focused on terrestrial afforestation in urban parks, highways, institutions, and agricultural land. Critics argue that this approach overlooks critical frontline zones such as mangrove forests and degraded coastal belts, which are vital for climate adaptation and disaster resilience.
“Tree planting should not be about greenery alone-it must serve the broader goals of climate adaptation, ecosystem restoration, and building community resilience,” said Professor Ahmad Kamruzzaman Majumdar, Dean of Environmental Science at Stamford University Bangladesh. “Bangladesh’s coastal zones, including the Sundarbans and other mangrove areas, are our first line of defence against rising sea levels, cyclones, and storm surges. Neglecting these zones weakens our climate preparedness.”
Although Bangladesh has more than 711 kilometres of coastline and nearly 40 million people residing in 19 coastal districts, the current afforestation programme devotes little attention to these vulnerable regions.
Zakir Hossain Khan, Chief Executive of the climate justice organisation Change Initiative, highlighted the missed opportunities: “Mangrove afforestation offers multifaceted benefits-carbon storage, storm protection, and breeding grounds for marine life that support millions of livelihoods. Yet we are planting trees where the impact is minimal, rather than focusing on degraded coastal zones or shallow marine habitats where they could do the most good.”
Mangroves, specially adapted to saline and tidal environments, are crucial to Bangladesh’s environmental and climate resilience. Research shows that mangroves can absorb up to four times more carbon than tropical rainforests and reduce storm surges by up to 66 per cent-a key factor in cyclone-prone areas. Their extensive root systems prevent soil erosion and protect biodiversity, supporting species from shrimp and crabs to birds and even Bengal tigers.
Yet, large portions of Bangladesh’s mangrove zones – particularly outside the Sundarbans – remain degraded, unprotected, or excluded from afforestation efforts.
“Without serious investment in mangrove regeneration, Bangladesh will continue to face intensified climate shocks-from floods and saltwater intrusion to mass displacement,” said Professor Majumdar, speaking to The New Nation.
Both Majumdar and Khan pointed to significant opportunities for Bangladesh to tap into international climate finance through blue carbon initiatives. By restoring mangroves and quantifying their carbon sequestration potential, Bangladesh could access global carbon markets and attract funding for ecosystem preservation.
“Bangladesh is already highly vulnerable to sea-level rise,” noted Khan. “Restoring mangrove belts and documenting our coastal carbon stock could generate revenue through carbon credits. This is not only environmentally crucial-it makes economic sense.”
Experts are urging the government to adopt an integrated afforestation framework encompassing Terrestrial Zones – Traditional tree planting on land, Coastal Zones – Mangrove afforestation to reinforce coastal defences and Marine Zones – Planting submerged seagrasses and salt-tolerant flora to expand blue carbon sinks.
“Tree planting must extend beyond land-based efforts,” said Professor Majumdar. “We must think bigger-to include our coasts and even our seas. That is how we can build genuine environmental resilience.”
To align the 2025 campaign with Bangladesh’s climate commitments under the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), experts recommend allocating at least 30 per cent of afforestation resources to coastal and marine ecosystems, involving local communities in the management of mangrove forests, including climate-vulnerable areas in all planning stages and partnering with international climate finance mechanisms for blue carbon development.
While the tree plantation campaign and national fair are positive steps, environmental experts warn that without a climate-smart, ecosystem-based strategy, the initiative may fall short of its long-term environmental goals.
“A truly green Bangladesh isn’t just about planting more trees-it’s about planting the right trees in the right places for the right reasons,” said Zakir Hossain Khan.
Despite a commendable history of coastal afforestation-planting over 261,000 hectares since 2009-critics note that current campaigns barely touch these critical zones. Experts now call for a course correction to ensure that Bangladesh’s tree-planting efforts are not only visible but also climate-effective and future-proof.
