Only one tree per 28 people in Dhaka as forest cover shrinks nationwide 

Highlights

• One person needs 3 trees for adequate oxygen supply, but in Dhaka there is only one for 28 people
• Dhaka needs about 20% green area but has around 10%
• About 250,000 acres of forest land in Bangladesh have been occupied illegally
• Compared to 2015, afforestation has decreased by 100,000 acres.
• Forests are being lost to encroachment, fires, unauthorised construction, and mangrove destruction 
• Afforestation is most effective and low-cost natural solution to climate change.

Three fully grown trees are needed to supply oxygen to one person whereas there is one tree for 28 people in Dhaka.

Today (30 November), at the closing session of the four-day international conference "Political Commitment to Agriculture and Food," organised by the Bangladesh Agricultural Journalists' Forum (BJAFA), speakers painted a bleak picture of the country's dwindling forest cover – around 1,00,000 acres of forest were lost in last 10 years.

Md Jahidul Kabir, additional chief conservator of forests, said that although an individual needs at least 550 liters of oxygen per day, the current tree-to-person ratio in the capital is grossly insufficient. Three fully grown trees are needed to supply this amount of oxygen, but there is just one tree for 28 people in Dhaka, he said.

He further noted that about 250,000 acres of forest land nationwide have reportedly been occupied illegally, contributing to rapid deforestation.

He warned that biodiversity and ecosystems are being devastated — a result of illegal hunting, forest encroachment, fires, unauthorised construction, mangrove destruction, unregulated boat traffic and the growing pressures of climate change.

Citing official data, Kabir said that Bangladesh's existing forests hold around 394 million cubic feet of timber, and when including non-forest trees across the country, total tree cover stores roughly 973 million tonnes of carbon — of which 251 million tonnes lie within natural forest cover.

As part of reforestation efforts, the Forest Department has so far distributed approximately 419,000 saplings free of cost to citizens. Once matured, these saplings are expected to help enhance the country's carbon absorption capacity and restore lost greenery.

In his keynote address, Md Amir Hossain Chowdhury, chief conservator of forests, emphasised that afforestation remains the most effective and low-cost natural solution to climate change. He cautioned that as living standards rise and carbon emissions increase — particularly if Bangladesh develops into an industry-dense nation — the need for stable forest cover will become even more urgent.

Highlighting demographic pressure, he noted that Bangladesh is among the world's most densely populated countries. Ideally, green areas should cover at least 20 percent of a city like Dhaka — but the current green cover across the city remains just over 10 percent, according to some estimates.

In a special address, Abul Kalam Azad, CEO of the Planter Skill Development unit at Dhaka University, argued that despite Bangladesh's fertile land and agricultural potential, development in agriculture, afforestation and environmental protection is being hindered by political inaction, a crisis of values, lack of fair distribution policies and weak leadership. 

He said syndicates, political vendettas, extortion and poor implementation of laws remain major obstacles. Sustainable change in food security and environmental protection will require value-based leadership and good governance, he suggested.

Sahanowar Sayed Shaheen, chairman of BJAFA, chaired the conference and Abu Khalid, general secretary of BJAFA, moderated the sessions.

The four-day conference was co-sponsored by Asha Feed Industries Limited. Associate sponsors include RFL Group, Lal Teer Seeds Limited, World Poultry Science Association's Bangladesh branch, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, Department of Forestry, Department of Agricultural Extension, Department of Fisheries, and Livestock Department.