Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on Wednesday signed a record of discussion (R/D) with the Economic Relations Division (ERD), Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC), and Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD) of the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) for the project titled 'Project for Enhancing Coastal Resilience through Technology-based Forest Management'.
Under this technical cooperation agreement, JICA will support BFD in implementing comprehensive forest management utilizing advanced technologies in the country's coastal zone. The project is set to span four years (May 2025-April 2029) and will involve Japanese experts in necessary fields with relevant BFD counterparts at both HQs and field levels.
To mark the formalization of this significant project, Ms. Miura Mari, Senior Representative, JICA Bangladesh Office, signed the R/D with Dr. A. K. M. Shahabuddin, Additional Secretary, ERD, Md. Amir Hosain Chowdhury, Chief Conservator of Forests, BFD, and Ms. Fatima Tuz Zohora, Joint Secretary, MoEFCC.
This technical cooperation project aims to enhance the BFD's capacity for forest landscape restoration in coastal areas by promoting technology-based forest management planning and monitoring. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Bangladesh coast is one of the most vulnerable areas to climate change and is exposed to frequent cyclones and storm surges.
As a result, the region is experiencing significant coastal degradation, severely impacting coastal forests, particularly mangrove ecosystems. In response, BFD has taken a number of initiatives to expand coastal forestry.
The project will build on these initiatives by identifying and taking advanced forest planning and monitoring approaches to ensure effective coastal landscape restoration and coastal resilience to mitigate climate change impacts.
Md. Amir Hosain Chowdhury, Chief Conservator of Forests, BFD said, Bangladesh is a densely populated country, and only 14% of the area is covered by forests. There are many challenges in the planning and monitoring of the forest resources, including a lack of modern technology to conserve the forests; therefore, BFD will be benefitted by this project and happy to be a part of JICA's first cooperation in the forestry sector in Bangladesh.
Ms. Fatema Tuz Zohora, Joint Secretary, MoEFCC, said natural calamities are very severe in Bangladesh; therefore, forestry is playing a significant role. Climate change impacts, especially sea level rise and salinity intrusion, has triggered vulnerability in the coastal zone; therefore, the project will support the conservation of forest resources using modern technology, including the capacity development of BFD officials. The ministry is looking forward to having more cooperation with JICA in the future. During the signing ceremony, Ms. Miura Mari, Senior Representative, Dr. A. K. M. Shahabuddin, Additional Secretary, ERD, also spoke on thje occasion.
