The government plans to plant 250 million trees across Bangladesh over the next five years to restore the country's shrinking forest cover and biodiversity, officials announced on Wednesday.
The announcement came ahead of Bangladesh's observance of World Environment Day on Thursday, when the government will also inaugurate the Environment Fair 2026, the National Tree Plantation Campaign, and the National Tree Fair.
Although World Environment Day is observed globally on June 5, Bangladesh will hold its national observance on July 9 this year alongside the country's annual tree plantation campaign.
This year's theme for the National Tree Plantation Campaign and Tree Fair is: "Let's decorate the country through tree plantation, Bangladesh first."
Speaking at a press conference at the Secretariat, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Abdul Awal Mintoo said the government's actual target is to plant 320 million saplings, anticipating that around 70 million may not survive.
"Our goal is to ensure that at least 250 million trees survive over the next five years," he said.
Mintoo said the Forest Department is preparing a policy to implement the initiative, which remains under development.
The government also plans to engage elderly women, elderly men, and young people in tree planting and maintenance.
Smart forestry
The adviser said the campaign would use satellites, geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, drones, and a national tree database to monitor the location and survival rate of every planted tree.
The initiative is also expected to create around 350,000 green jobs and develop 10,000 nursery entrepreneurs over the next five years.
As part of the campaign, month-long tree fairs will be held in Dhaka, while 15-day fairs will take place in all divisional cities, seven-day fairs in 56 district headquarters, and three-day fairs in 29 upazilas.
The National Tree Fair in Dhaka will feature 120 stalls.
Mintoo said the government is bringing afforestation activities under a "Smart Forestry" framework, with all planted trees recorded in a digital database and drones deployed to monitor remote char areas, coastal regions, and forests.
He said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had inaugurated the nationwide five-year tree plantation campaign at Dulahazara in Cox's Bazar.
According to the adviser, the Forest Department has already planted 8.33 million saplings, meeting nearly 17% of this year's target.
This fiscal year, the department plans to plant 15 million indigenous saplings in treeless areas, along roads, canals, embankments, and coastal zones. It is also implementing new afforestation projects on 4,800 hectares of forest land recovered from illegal occupation.
Current fiscal year target
According to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the government plans to plant 50 million trees during the current fiscal year, including 20 million mangrove saplings and 35 million indigenous fruit trees.
The campaign will be carried out through collaboration among government ministries and divisions, local government institutions, private organizations, research institutes, academic institutions, and civil society organizations.
Officials said the government will not provide cash incentives, saplings, land, fields, or orchards for tree planting.
Instead, it will support individuals and organizations that voluntarily undertake plantation efforts, while government agencies will finance tree planting from their own budgets.
The government also hopes to involve elderly people and young volunteers in rural areas to supervise and care for planted trees.
Officials said nearly 900 organizations have already applied for government support, including requests for land, saplings, orchards, fields, parks, and funding. The applications are currently under review.
Six focus areas
Ministry officials said the 250-million-tree initiative has been divided into six components based on the country's geographical, environmental, and socio-economic conditions.
These include coastal afforestation, forest restoration, urban forestry, community forestry, homestead and agroforestry, and production forestry.
The program will be implemented in short-, medium-, and long-term phases over the next five years.
Officials said the Forest Department has already planted more than 8.33 million saplings, while other ministries and government agencies have also undertaken plantation drives.
Chief Conservator of Forests Md Amir Hossain Chowdhury told Dhaka Tribune on Wednesday evening that the government would not provide financial assistance, saplings, or land for tree planting.
"Anyone who voluntarily comes forward to plant trees will receive the government's support," he said.
He added that the Forest Department would continue planting trees on government land and has already recovered about 4,500 acres of illegally occupied forest land, where plantation work has begun.
Priority species
The government plans to prioritize fast-growing indigenous species instead of exotic trees to reduce pressure on natural forests.
According to the Forest Department, priority species include mahogany, gamar, jarul, kadam, agar, bamboo, shilkoroi, black plum, mahua, bohera, arjun, neem, haritaki, jackfruit, and elephant apple.
The government also plans to plant 100,000 neem saplings within the next 180 days.
Casuarina will be planted in coastal areas, while sundari, gewa, bain, and goran species will be prioritized in the Sundarbans.
Experts welcome initiative
Experts welcomed the government's initiative but stressed that long-term planning and maintenance would determine its success.
Former chairman of the Department of Botany at Dhaka University, Professor Dr Mihir Lal Saha, said Bangladesh's forest and tree cover continue to decline, making large-scale plantation programs essential for restoring ecological balance.
"Planting 250 million trees over five years means planting 50 million every year. But planting trees alone is not enough," he told Dhaka Tribune.
"Trees must be cared for like children. They should be planted in a way that ensures at least three survive out of every five planted."
He also called for a comprehensive five-year implementation plan, saying tree species should be selected based on land availability, root systems, canopy spread, and local ecological conditions.
"Expert advice is essential before undertaking plantation on such a large scale," he said.
Referring to similar initiatives abroad, Saha said China had achieved some success with comparable programs, but warned that Bangladesh often struggles with continuity as successive governments tend to replace existing projects with new ones before they can deliver lasting results.