Chunati forest to be regenerated
The government has approved the first public sector project under Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to regenerate degraded reserve forest in Chunati under Cox's Bazar district.
About 7,764-hectare area of degraded forest would be reforested under the Chunati Reforestation Programme, State Minister for Environment and Forests Hasan Mahmud told a seminar here yesterday.
It will be the second CDM project in the country to tap opportunities of global carbon market as the government is looking for promoting the system for country's development as well as making its economy more green and carbon neutral.
The first project under CDM was a compost plant jointly established by Waste Concern and World Wide Recycling BV, a Dutch company, at Bhulta, Narayanganj last year.
Under CDM, the rich countries outsource their obligation to cut carbon emissions by sponsoring carbon-cutting schemes in poor countries.
Bangladesh POUSH, a non-government organisation, arranged the seminar titled Community Based Conservation and Regeneration of Mangrove for Disaster and Climate Risk Reduction at WVA auditorium at Dhanmondi.
The state minister said Bangladesh could not properly tap opportunities given under CDM due to lack of initiative, although the country, as one of the worst victims of climate change, is supposed to have a good share in the CDM market.
The government has taken some positive steps to utilise the CDM for conservation and regeneration of its degraded forests, Hasan said adding Chunati Reforestation Programme is the first step in this respect.
He said the Department of Forests is implementing the Community Based Coastal Forestation Programme under Least Developed Country Fund of the UNFCCC as part of implementation of first National Adaptation Programme of Action.
The forest department has been instructed to develop a monitoring project based on aerial photography to enhance vigilance on forest resources in the Sundarbans to stop illegal logging, he said.
He also referred to the newly manoeuvred Reduced Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) mechanism under the UNFCCC and urged all to make efforts to get due share out of it.
“REDD mechanism is getting prominence in developing countries for mitigation effort. It is expected that a major share of developed countries' financial support may flow towards this sector.
“Brazil, Indonesia, India and other nations with forest resources may get a lion's share from the REDD mechanism,” he said.
However, Bangladesh may also get a share out of it in the future, “if we take appropriate enabling measures in this sector,” the minister added.
Hasan urged all to make their best efforts to protect forests saying forests are the first line of defence against cyclones and tidal surges to reduce disaster risks to a great extent.
The Sundarbans, already encroached upon by man, and affected by rising sea levels, could take up to 30 years to regenerate, he said.
Senior Adviser of the IUCN Dr Ainun Nishat and Assistant Country Director of UNDP Aminul Islam took part in the discussion with Sanwar Hossain, president of POUSH, in the chair.
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