Sundarbans, July 6 (V7N)- The forest department has taken the initiative to afforest mangroves on the banks of 52 rivers and canals adjacent to the Sundarbans in Khulna. This program will be implemented similarly to the mangrove afforestation on the banks of the lake in five acres of Sheikh Russel Ecopark in Batiaghata, Khulna. Essentially, the plants found in the Sundarbans will be planted along these rivers and canals. This initiative will be carried out by IUCN Bangladesh and the Forest Department with funding from the French Development Agency.
 
Sources in the Sundarban West Division mentioned that an integrated initiative called the "Upper Sundarban Restoration Program" has been taken in Khulna, Bagerhat, and Satkhira districts to enhance adaptation capacity against climate change impacts. From the Baleshwar River in Sharankhola upazila of Bagerhat to the Kalindi River in Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira, 52 small and large rivers and canals flow through rural areas of Sharankhola, Morelganj, Mongla, Dakop, Koira, and Shyamnagar upazilas and enter the Sundarbans.
 
The Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest, is formed by the mixing of fresh water from these rivers and canals with alluvial soil and the salty tides of the Bay of Bengal. Even a century ago, the upper reaches of the Sundarbans were home to various species of flora. However, the flow of water in these 52 rivers and canals has decreased due to man-made reasons such as tree felling, human settlements, damming, and fencing. In some places, the flow has stopped entirely. Efforts are being made to control the water flow by installing sluice gates in certain areas. As a result, the mangrove forests along the banks of these 52 rivers and canals have vanished.
 
It is known that salt water was introduced from the Rupsa River into an artificial heart in five acres of Sheikh Russell Ecopark in Batiaghata. Later, a mangrove forest was created by planting 4,000 saplings of mangrove species along the banks of this heart. Mangrove forests will be restored on the banks of 52 rivers and canals in Bagerhat, Khulna, and Satkhira districts based on the model of this artificially created mangrove forest for the first time in the country.
 
French President Emmanuel Macron visited Bangladesh on September 10 and 11 last year. He expressed that the French government wants to assist climate-affected countries. In this context, the French Development Agency, with the help of IUCN Bangladesh, has initiated the "Upper Sundarbans Restoration Program" to address the impacts of climate change in the affected areas of the Sundarbans and its adjacent rural areas.
 
Dr. Abu Nasser Mohsin Hossain, Divisional Officer of Sundarban West Forest Department, stated that from July 6 (today) to 8, officials from the Forest Department, French Development Agency, and IUCN Bangladesh will jointly visit the cyclone-affected settlements in the Sundarbans and the upper Sundarbans, as well as the mangrove model created in Sheikh Russell Ecopark. Following this, a pilot project will be undertaken. This project will aid in restoring the mangrove forests that have been depleted along the rivers and creeks in the upper reaches of the Sundarbans.

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