BELA for urgent policy reform to protect forestlands

Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) has called for urgent policy reform to restore and conserve the country's forestlands, including the vulnerable coastal forests.

A newly drafted policy brief by BELA, based on a review of existing laws, policies, and development plans, highlights the need for legal updates and sustainable forest management to recover Bangladesh's diminishing forest cover.

To advance this initiative, a national workshop was held today at Hotel Sonargaon, Dhaka, jointly organised by BELA and CODEC under the "Blue Economy and Inclusive Development for Climate Justice" project, in association with Oxfam Bangladesh and Breaking the Silence (BTS), according to a press release.

The event brought together the government officials, legal experts, environmentalists, academics, and coastal community representatives to exchange insights and recommendations on strengthening forest conservation.

Mohammad Navid Shafiullah, additional secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, attended the event as the chief guest.

Lauding the initiative, he said, "This is a commendable effort where policy instruments are effectively aligned with technical tools. The SDSS (Spatial Decision Support System) tool has the potential to transform forest management with its precision. However, legal integration is vital. Existing laws must be amended to incorporate and support such emerging technologies."

Muhammad Ismat Enan, climate and geospatial analyst at Oxfam Bangladesh, presented the SDSS, a cutting-edge tool based on GeoAI that enables spatial analysis and informed decision-making at the union level.

The system can support government agencies, planners, and researchers in environmental conservation and forest resource monitoring.

He urged public agencies to ensure access to reliable, localised data to strengthen its utility.

SM Saify Iqbal, climate policy specialist at Oxfam Bangladesh, identified unregulated tree felling and shrimp farming as key causes of coastal deforestation, with mangrove forests shrinking by 1% annually. "This trend can be reversed through strategic partnerships and co-management approaches," he said.

In her keynote address titled "Policy and Reality", Taslima Islam, executive director of BELA, noted that despite Article 18A of the Constitution mandating forest and biodiversity protection, land use decisions often neglect environmental impacts.

"In Cox's Bazar, for example, railway construction led to the loss of 720,000 trees and 26 hills," she cited.

Jacob de Leon, second secretary (Development), Australian High Commission, commented that while legal frameworks exist, enforcement is hampered by inadequate staffing, financial limitations, and institutional barriers.

The "Blue Economy and Inclusive Development for Climate Justice" project is currently being implemented in five coastal sub-districts: Koyra (Khulna), Assasuni and Shyamnagar (Satkhira), and Chakaria and Maheshkhali (Cox's Bazar).

Globally, it is recommended that at least 25 percent of a country's land be forested to maintain ecological balance. For a climate-vulnerable nation like Bangladesh, forests play a vital role in supporting livelihoods, enhancing resilience, and safeguarding biodiversity, especially in coastal zones where forest ecosystems are key to disaster risk reduction.