ZCZC
BSS-03
SUCCESS-SOCIAL-FORESTRY (with picture)
DoF intensifies participatory afforestation programmes in Rajshahi
RAJSHAHI, Aug 29, 2018 (BSS) – The Department of Social Forestry (DoF)
has intensified the activities of participatory afforestation in the region
including its vast Barind tract.
The participatory social afforestation programme has started improving
living and livelihood conditions of significant number of small and marginal
farmers by increasing their income in the region.
The DoF has been implementing various lucrative programmes in all 31
upazilas of Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Natore and Naogaon districts to
encourage the rural people in planting saplings and nursing of the different
tree.
Divisional Forest Officer Sazzad Hossain today said the profitable
afforestation activities encouraged many people towards planting saplings of
wood, medicinal and fruit-bearing trees at homesteads, roadsides, office
premises, embankments, forest areas, religious institutions’ premises and
other places.
The forest division has already created steep forest on 5,500
kilometers, block forest on 1,500 hectares of land and char land forest on
641 hectares involving 32,146 people including 9,507 women as beneficiaries.
Many of the newly created gardens on various fallow land like river
embankment, railway ground, char area and roadside land have taken a greenery
look.
More than 3.10 crore cubic feet woodlot including around 28.72 lakh
cubic feet fuel wood worth around Taka 55.16 crore were sold from the 733
hectares of block and 1,672 kilometers of steep forest, he said, adding it
helped depositing revenue worth around Taka 16.16 crore to the government
exchequer.
Over 11,036 beneficiaries including 1,963 women have, so far, received
over Taka 1.93 crore as their share from the created forests.
In last 2015-16 fiscal, two beneficiaries Isahaque Ali and Hamida Begum
of Dhamuirhat upazila of Naogaon district received around Taka 6.93 lakh and
Tk 6.88 lakh respectively as profit share.
Sazzad Hossain said people of the respective areas were given
responsibilities to look after the planted saplings and they get 55 per cent
share of the sale after 10 years of plantation while 20 per cent and five
percent are distributed among land owners and local government institution
concerned.
Successful implementation of the social forestry programme always
supplement the government’s poverty reduction effort beside facing the
adverse impact of climate change in the drought-prone area, experts said.
Currently, social forestry is being adjudged as a tool for bringing
about ecological and socio-economic improvements. It also contributes to
alleviating poverty in the dried region.
Significant number of small and marginal farmers will attain economic
emancipation through the participatory intervention.
Many of the newly created gardens on various vacant places like river
embankment, railway land, char area and roadside land are now eye-catching.
Positive ecological changes refer to a greater number of trees, more
biomass production and beneficial ecological effects. Sazzad Hossain,
however, said mass awareness should be created regarding planting more trees
on all the vacant spaces.
There should be adequate measures of using surface water for irrigation
purposes to ensure lessening the exorbitant pressure on ground water.
Meanwhile, the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) has
implemented around 2.58 crore saplings of various fruit, timber and herbal
trees were planted in the command area to protect environment and meet the
growing demands for fruits and timber in the region.
BMDA Executive Director Engineer Abdur Rashid said the tree plantation
activities will ultimately help reduce carbon of atmosphere at substantial
level and that is very important to face the adverse impact of climate change
in the Barind tract.
BSS/AH/SA/1155 HRS