Tree planting for at risk Bangladesh
12/08/09
Bangladesh is one of the countries most at risk from climate change so news of a massive tree planting scheme in a wildlife sanctuary south east of Dhaka is most welcome.
Reuters reported today that the United States and Germany have agreed to donate $19 million for the reforestation of Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary a major corridor for the movement of Asian elephants between Myanmar and Bangladesh and home to threatened timber species.
Bangladesh suffered heavily from extreme floods in 1999 and with millions of people living less than a metre above sea level planning for climate change is an international concern.
It is reported that 2,000 hectares of forest will be restored and as well as helping to mitigate the effects of climate change it will enable the many people that live in the region to generate alternative forms of forest income.
This news came on the same day that Kenya also pledged to plant 7.6 billion trees over the next 20 years to make up for some of the damage down by decades of deforestation. Maybe these slices of news mark a shift in the continent's emphasis on forests. In June we reported from Africa where Tree Aid are helping communities all over the continent by unlocking the value in standing trees.