Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan on Saturday underscored the urgent need to conserve coastal areas for afforestation and agriculture, warning that coastal challenges are becoming increasingly complex and require far-sighted decisions with clearly defined short- and medium-term goals on.
She made the remarks while inaugurating the two-day National Coastal Conference at the Bangladesh Military Museum auditorium in Bijoy Sarani as the chief guest, according to a press release.
The adviser said new forms of disasters are emerging every day, while natural resources and agricultural land are being degraded, threatening food security and intensifying poverty and water scarcity.
As a result, she noted, crises such as climate-induced displacement, microplastic pollution, and reduced carbon sequestration are worsening.
Referring to past interventions in coastal areas, Rizwana said that although many earlier plans were cancelled, the damage has already occurred, and dismantling shrimp enclosures is again costing hundreds of millions of taka.
Ultimately, she added, the government bears this financial burden. She cautioned that policy positions would become meaningless if affected people are not protected, noting that innocent communities often suffer while issues are unnecessarily politicized.
Highlighting Saint Martin’s Island and other coastal areas, the adviser pointed to unregulated tourism infrastructure, restrictions on local vessel movement, and the resulting loss of income for livelihood-dependent communities.
She stressed the importance of ensuring alternative livelihoods for those affected, adding that initiatives are being undertaken through organisations such as COAST and BRAC, with support from the Ministry of Agriculture also under consideration.
She further noted that a large population resides in Bangladesh’s coastal regions and warned that if climate risks intensify, protecting these communities will require a separate and strong institutional framework for coastal zone management.
She emphasised that water resources, river protection, transport, and agriculture must be addressed in an integrated manner.
The session was chaired by Gawhar Naeem Wara, Convener of the National Coastal Conference, and moderated by Nurul Alam Masud, Chief Executive of PRAN. Special guests included Dr. Mohammad Emdad Ullah Mian, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture; Md. Enayet Ullah, Director General, Bangladesh Water Development Board; Md. Zahidul Kabir, Deputy Chief Conservator of Forests; Dipak Elmer, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Switzerland in Dhaka; and Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Executive Director of COAST Trust.
The conference brought together more than 300 representatives, researchers, students, and members of affected communities working on agriculture, environment, food security, fishing communities, informal workers, and disaster management from 19 coastal districts across the country.
