Environment, Forest, and Climate Change adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, has announced that land, forests, and wetlands will be integrated into Bangladesh’s new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) to reinforce climate mitigation strategies.
She emphasised the urgency of addressing deforestation and land degradation, which pose significant challenges to achieving the NDC targets.
Speaking as the Chief Guest at a seminar titled “Challenges in Planning and Implementing Carbon Emission Reductions from Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use under Bangladesh’s NDC,” held at the CIRDAP Auditorium in Dhaka on Tuesday, Rizwana Hasan called for sustainable and inclusive practices to tackle these challenges.
The Advisor highlighted the government’s forest recovery efforts, stating that allocations of 700 acres of forest land to the Public Administration Academy and 20 acres to the Bangladesh Football Federation have already been revoked.
Additionally, the process to cancel a 156-acre forest land allocation tied to an organization associated with the brother of a former Cabinet Secretary is nearing completion. She reiterated the importance of energy-efficient practices and collective efforts in combating climate change.
The seminar was chaired by Chairperson of the Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD) and Coordinator of Nijera Kori Khushi Kabir. Fellow at the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies Dr. Dwijen Mallick, delivered the keynote speech.
Other speakers included Associate Professor at the University of DhakaDr. Mohammad Moniruzzaman Khan; Senior Scientific Officer at the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute Dr. Nazim Uddin; Coordinator of UNDP Bangladesh’s LoGIC Project A.K.M. Azad Rahman; Gazi Mohammad Sohrab Hossain, a researcher at the Centre for Knowledge; and Senior Fellow at BCAS Khandaker Mainuddin.
The seminar explored the challenges of reducing carbon emissions from agriculture, forestry, and other land use sectors, underscoring the importance of science-based and collaborative approaches to meet the country’s climate goals.
