ZCZC
BSS-44
EFFECTIVE-STRATEGIES-SUNDARBANS
Effective strategies being adopted to protect Sundarbans: Shahab Uddin
DHAKA, Feb 17, 2021 (BSS) – Environment, Forests and Climate Change
Minister Md Shahab Uddin today said a strategic environmental assessment is
being carried out in the south-western part of the country as part of the
government’s firm commitment to protect the Sundarbans.
“The Strategic Environmental Assessment Report and the Strategic
Environmental Management Plan will provide effective guidelines for the
conservation of the Sundarbans,” he said.
The minister made the remarks while addressing a meeting with national
level stakeholders on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of Southwest
region and Sundarbans at Pan Pacific Hotel Sonargaon in the city, said a
press release.
Noting that the government has recently approved the “Sundarbans
Protection” project in the ECNEC to strengthen the Sundarbans conservation
activities, Shahab Uddin said, “By implementing development activities in the
south-western part of the country, we will be able to ensure the conservation
of the Sundarbans”.
The Strategic Environmental Assessment of the south-west part of the
country as well as the Sundarbans is being carried out through a fully
government-funded technical project to ensure so that the Sundarbans is not
harmed due to implementation of policies, plans and activities related to the
country’s development process, he added.
As per the survey report, the ministries and departments, which are
implementing the development works, will work on the basis of awareness and
inter-coordination to ensure environmental protection activities in the
south-western region of the country including the Sundarbans, the minister
said.
Shahab Uddin said, “The Sundarbans is not only our resource but also the
resource of the world. It is almost impossible to make an accurate economic
assessment of the way the Sundarbans protects us from cyclones and tidal
surges”.
Apart from that, a part of the Sundarbans is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
and the entire Sundarbans is a RAMSAR site, he said, adding, “So conservation
of Sundarbans is the responsibility of all of us”.
Mentioning that an international and national consulting firm is
conducting the study jointly, the minister said, preliminary reports
submitted by the consulting firm have already been finalized by the review
committee at the end of the review.
“Hopefully we will get the final report of this survey in the next six
months,” Shahab Uddin said.
Deputy Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Begum Habibun
Nahar, Additional Secretary (Development) Ahmed Shamim Al Razi, Chief
Conservator of Forests Md Amir Hossain Chowdhury and Executive Director of
Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services Malik Fida A
Khan spoke as special guests with Secretary of the Environment, Forests and
Climate Change Ministry Ziaul Hasan in the chair.
Team Leader of Integra Consulting, Czech Republic, Professor Barry Dalal
Clayton presented the keynote papers in the meeting attended by
representatives from different ministries, government and non-government
organisations.
BSS/PR/SAH/RY/1938hrs