Coastal zones under climate threat: Forest protection needs urgent action
Staff Reporter, GreenPage | Dhaka, 23 June 2025
Bangladesh’s coastal forests protect against disasters and support biodiversity, community livelihoods, and ecological balance. Protecting these forests is indispensable for the survival of coastal populations facing the mounting threats of climate change. That was the main message from the national workshop in June 2025 at the Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka.
The “National Event on Coastal Forest Co-Management for Ecosystem Restoration and SDSS Tool” workshop, organized by the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), included government officials, legal experts, environmental activists, and coastal residents.
Naveed Shafiullah, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, said as the chief guest, “Bangladesh is one of the countries most at risk from global climate change.” Our coastal forests protect us from natural disasters and serve as a livelihood source for local communities. Protecting these forests is not optional—it is our responsibility.”
Taslima Islam, Chief Executive of BELA, highlighted constitutional obligations, citing Article 18(a), which mandates biodiversity and forest conservation. She remarked, “Environmental damage is seldom evaluated during the project planning process.” In the Cox’s Bazar railway project, over 720,000 trees and 26 hills were destroyed. The 1927 Forest Act does not clearly define “forest” and offers little guidance on the responsibilities of the Forest Department.
Mihir Kumar Do, Conservator of Forests for the Barisal coastal region, emphasized that land management challenges hinder forest protection. Coastal forests lack legal protection and are managed by district commissioners until they are officially designated as ‘reserved.’ Yet, when encroachment happens, the forest department is blamed. Co-management committees have significantly reduced illegal logging in the Sundarbans.”
S.M. Saifi Iqbal, a Climate Policy Specialist at Oxfam Bangladesh, reported that mangrove forests in coastal areas are shrinking by about 1% each year due to shrimp farming, deforestation, and unregulated activities. Strategic partnerships and community-based co-management are key to reversing this trend.”
Jacob De Leon, Second Secretary (Development) at the Australian High Commission, highlighted the gap in implementation: “Bangladesh has good environmental laws, but enforcement is weak due to a lack of manpower, funding, and institutional capacity.” Bridging these gaps is essential to ensure effective implementation.”
Workshop speakers urged political parties to include strong commitments to forest and environmental protection in their election manifestos. They stressed that protecting coastal forests for climate adaptation is a national security issue, not just an environmental one.
Coastal forests in Bangladesh are facing an existential threat. Addressing this crisis demands urgent action through co-management approaches, legal reform, and strong political will. Protecting our forests means building a resilient and united front against the climate crisis
