Social afforestation a must to improve environment

The ongoing social afforestation programme has been successful in improving the environment and bringing self-reliance to thousands of the rural poor in Rangpur.    Speakers made the observation while launching a tree plantation campaign organised by the Department of Forest, under its Social Afforestation Programme, at the Nabonidas Battar Canal premises under the Gangachara upazila of Rangpur, reports BSS.    A total of 5,000 fruit, wood and medicinal tree saplings will be planted on both sides of the Nabonidas Battar Canal by the local male and female beneficiaries under the Poverty Alleviation Project of Gangachara Upazila’s Social Afforestation Programme.    Chairman of Gangachara upazila, Majibar Rahman Pramanik, attended the ceremony as chief guest and formally launched the campaign by planting a tree sapling by the canal-side.    With Upazila Forest Officer Abul Kalam Azad at the chair, upazila vice-chairman Khyantya Rani, DF Rangpur Range Officer Ali Mortuza, women’s rights activist Farida Yasmin and journalist Abdul Alim Pramanik addressed the function as special guests.    The speakers said tree plantation has already been turned into a social movement and forest resources are contributing to the national economy, maintaining the balance in ecology, environment and biodiversity, and reducing risks of natural calamities and desertification.    They put special emphasis on planting more and more saplings for wood, medicinal and fruit trees in the homesteads, roadsides, office premises, embankments, forest areas, the premisesw of educational and religious institutions and other places.    Planned afforestation might resist riverbank erosions, help the process of flood-control, help create prospective tourist spots and help the poor achieve self-reliance, they said.    “Tremendous success” has been achieved in alleviating poverty under the programme in recent years and children of the beneficiaries are now going to schools, wearing better clothes, using sanitary latrines and living a better life in general, they observed.    During his speech, the chief guest called upon the beneficiaries to take proper care of the planted saplings and improve their future by improving the environment under changed climatic conditions.