Bangladesh Government and JICA Sign Agreement on Technology-Based Forest Management.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has signed a Record of Discussion (RD) with the Economic Relations Division (ERD), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC) and Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD) of the Government of Bangladesh on a project titled ‘Project for Enhancing Coastal Resilience through Technology-Based Forest Management’.
Under this technical cooperation agreement, JICA will assist BFD in implementing comprehensive forest management using cutting-edge technology in the country’s coastal areas. The project will run for four years (May 2025 – April 2029) and Japanese experts will work with BFD’s relevant personnel from the head office and field level as required by the project.
The agreement signing ceremony was held on January 8 at the conference room of ERD located in Agargaon area of the capital.
The agreement was signed by JICA Bangladesh Office Senior Representative Miura Mari, Additional Secretary, ERD Dr. A. K. M. Shahabuddin; Chief Conservator of Forests, BFD Md. Amir Hossain Chowdhury; and Joint Secretary, MoEFCC Fatima Tuz Zohra to formalize the important project.
The technical cooperation project aims to enhance the capacity of BFD to restore the geophysical features of forest lands in coastal areas through technology-based planning and monitoring in forest management.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the coastal areas of Bangladesh are one of the most vulnerable areas due to climate change and these areas are frequently affected by cyclones and storm surges. As a result, coastal degradation is increasing, which is having a serious impact on coastal forests, especially mangrove ecosystems. To prevent this risk, BFD has taken several initiatives to expand coastal afforestation. The project will ensure effective forest expansion in coastal areas by identifying and adopting state-of-the-art forest planning and monitoring methods based on these initiatives, which will play a helpful role in combating the effects of climate change.
At the agreement signing ceremony, Senior Representative of JICA Bangladesh Office Miura Mari appreciated the efforts of ERD, MOEFCC and BFD for the efforts in formulating the project. He mentioned that this technical cooperation project is the first initiative of JICA’s collaborative project with Bangladesh in the forest sector, which will play an important role in disaster risk reduction, development of local community livelihoods and mitigating the effects of climate change. He emphasized the need for joint efforts to make this project successful by giving the example of forest conservation efforts in Japan.
Additional Secretary of the Economic Relations Department Dr. A. K. M. Shahabuddin expressed his gratitude to JICA, MOEFCC and BFD for implementing the project and requested MOEFCC and BFD to expedite the implementation process of this project.
Chief Conservator of Forests, BFD, Md. Amir Hossain Chowdhury said, “Bangladesh is a densely populated country and only 14 percent of the country is covered by forests. There are many challenges in planning and monitoring forest resources, including the lack of modern technology for forest conservation; therefore, BFD will benefit from this project and we are happy to be part of JICA’s first collaborative project in the forest sector in Bangladesh.”
Joint Secretary, MOEFCC, Fatima Tuz Zohra said, “The level of natural disasters in Bangladesh is very severe. Afforestation plays a vital role in disaster prevention. The impact of climate change, especially sea level rise and salinity, has created vulnerable conditions in coastal areas. In this regard, the project will play a role in conserving forest resources using modern technology, which will also include capacity building of BFD officials. From the ministry, we look forward to more collaborative projects with JICA.’
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