'Bangabandhu Award for Wildlife Conservation'

Nationwide tree plantation campaign starts June 1

29 May 2010, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

The government this year introduced an award titled 'Bangabandhu Award for Wildlife Conservation' as part of its efforts to preserve rare animal and plant species on the verge of extinction. "The award will be given to those making special contributions to save wildlife," State Minister for Environment and Forests Hasan Mahmud said at a press briefing at the ministry. He said this ahead of the month-long countrywide National Tree Plantation Campaign and Tree Fair starting on June 1. The slogan of this year's campaign is "Green towns, green country will change Bangladesh." Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is due to inaugurate the fair at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center in the city, will confer the awards in three categories. Each award will include a crest of two bhoris of gold, a cheque for Tk 50,000 and a certificate. At the same programme, she will also present Prime Minister's National Award to 48 in 16 categories for their contributions to the success of tree plantation movement. "The Department of Forest is organising the campaign in divisional, district and upazila levels to create more awareness of environment and tree plantation in particular," Hasan Mahmud said. He said this year the government set a target to produce 10 crore of tree seedlings, which is a record so far in the history of the country. Afforestation by the forest department on 1.7 lakh hectares of lands in the coastal char area is accelerating rise of char lands and creating scope for farming and fisheries and human habitation, he said. In the previous years, vast areas in char lands in Noakhali were leased out to the influential people, Hasan Mahmud said, adding the government took an initiative to cancel the leases. Forest and Environment Secretary Mihir Kanti Majumder and other officials of the ministry were present at the press conference.