Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Water Resources, announced on Sunday that the government is committed to restoring the degraded Sal forests in Madhupur upazila, Tangail. As part of the initiative, Sal trees will be planted on 750 acres of land this year and 6,610 acres over the next three years.
Speaking during a Sal tree plantation program in the Telki area under the Tangail Forest Division, Hasan emphasized the importance of bringing native Sal trees back to their natural habitat. She called for the active involvement of forest dwellers and students in protecting the forest and highlighted efforts to identify encroached areas and install boundary pillars.
She also announced the gradual phasing out of commercial Eucalyptus plantations in the Sal forest and declared the withdrawal of 129 legal cases against indigenous and forest-dwelling communities of the upazila.
The event also marked the launch of the “Reestablishment of Madhupur Sal Forest through Participation of Local Communities” project, which began with demarcation and boundary pillar installation in the Rajabari area.
Wildlife expert Professor Dr. Mohammad Ali Reza Khan, Chief Conservator of Forests Md. Amir Hossain Chowdhury, and local government officials were present at the event.
