Bangladesh’s Forest Department, with support from the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Bank funding, shared findings from its latest National Forest Inventory (NFI) at a workshop in Dhaka recently.
The event highlighted critical insights into the country’s forest health, carbon storage, and community reliance on forests.
Conducted from March 2024 to early 2025, the survey examined 1,858 sites across five forest zones—Sundarbans, Hill, Sal, Coastal, and Village areas—with 6,400 household surveys to understand local forest use. Challenges like remote terrain and human activity prevented data collection from 156 plots.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Environment Ministry Adviser, emphasized the inventory’s role in meeting climate pledges like REDD+ and the SDGs, calling it a "strategic asset" for tracking carbon and biodiversity. FAO’s Bangladesh representative, Dr. Jiaoqun Shi, praised the country’s leadership in forest monitoring, noting its benefits for policy and local empowerment.
The study used satellite mapping and field tech to improve accuracy in detecting deforestation and climate risks. Experts presented trends in carbon storage, land changes, and forest-dependent livelihoods, urging integration with national climate plans.
Forest Chief Md. Amir Hosain Chowdhury stressed the need for ongoing monitoring, stating, “This should launch a permanent, nationally owned system.” The data aims to aid conservation, restore degraded land, and support forest communities.
FAO pledged continued collaboration to link forest data with climate finance and policies, ensuring ecosystems and vulnerable populations are protected for a "greener, more resilient future."
