Bangladesh’s critical forest and plantation tree reserves are depleting at a concerning pace, surpassing the global average, as per the latest findings from the Global Forest Watch (GFW) report.
The report reveals a troubling 8.7% decrease in the forest area of Bangladesh over the last two decades (2002-2023), while the global average forest loss stood at 7.4% during the same period.
Notably, Bangladesh experienced a stark increase in forest loss, from 308 hectares in 2022 to 743 hectares last year, according to recent data from the University of Maryland’s GLAD Lab, accessible on the World Resources Institute’s (WRI) Global Forest Watch platform.
Over the past two decades, Bangladesh has lost 8,039 hectares of forest annually, representing an alarming 8.7% decrease.
Tree Cover Loss: Moreover, Bangladesh witnessed a significant decline in its total tree cover, losing 246,000 hectares, equivalent to a 13% decrease since 2000. The loss continued unabated with 17,800 hectares of tree cover lost just last year, surpassing the 13,800 hectares lost in 2022.
Global Scenario: The GFW report underscores a global challenge, with tropical primary forest loss in 2023 totaling 3.7 million hectares, akin to losing almost 10 football fields of forest every minute. This forest loss resulted in 2.4 gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions, nearly half of the annual fossil fuel emissions of the US.
Efforts and Challenges: In response, the Bangladeshi government, led by Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury, is taking decisive steps. Minister Chowdhury emphasized the crackdown on illegal forest land encroachment and highlighted the restoration of 26,000 acres of forest land.
Additionally, the government recently initiated Bangladesh’s second national forest inventory (NFI) to bolster resource management efforts. Minister Chowdhury stressed the government’s commitment to resource protection and monitoring, aligning with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and international declarations.
Despite these efforts, official data indicates a concerning trend, with over 257,000 hectares of forest lands falling into illegal hands in recent years, contributing to a reduction in the country’s forest area.
The World Bank, supporting Bangladesh’s second NFI with Tk25 crore, underscores the urgency of addressing forest loss, noting a decline in the country’s forest area from over 19,000 square kilometers in 2006 to 18,834 square kilometers in 2021.
