National University (NU) plans to plant at least 20 million trees across Bangladesh over the next five years by mobilising about 4 million students from more than 2,300 affiliated colleges, as part of a drive to protect the environment, address climate risks and support the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The initiative will also seek to ensure that at least 80 per cent of the planted trees survive through advanced digital monitoring, district- and divisional-level supervision and a strengthened accountability framework.
The roadmap was adopted at a high-level coordination meeting chaired by Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr A S M Amanullah at the university’s city office in Dhanmondi, Dhaka, on 30 July. The plan centres on the “One Student–One Tree” and “Green Campus–Green Energy” programmes, the university said in a press release.
Under the roadmap, about 4 million trees could be planted annually if every student plants at least one tree during each academic year.
The university also provided guidance on selecting suitable tree species and planting locations based on the environmental conditions of individual regions.
The “Green Campus–Green Energy” programme will focus on reducing carbon emissions and developing environmentally friendly and sustainable campuses at affiliated colleges in line with UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals.
A high-level coordination committee will be formed to ensure the programmes are implemented quickly and systematically, following a directive from the Vice-Chancellor.
Pilot projects will initially be launched at selected colleges before being gradually expanded to all National University-affiliated colleges across the country.
“The successful implementation of this programme will play a historic role in protecting the country’s environment, mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change and building a green and sustainable Bangladesh,” Amanullah said.
Environmental experts at the meeting described the initiative as a timely and forward-looking step towards developing students into environmentally conscious and responsible citizens.
Special guests included Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Md Lutfor Rahaman; Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Mohammad Ali Zinnah; Treasurer Professor Dr Md Nazmul Hossain; Registrar Molla Mahfuz Al-Hossain; Professor Dr Mohammad Nurunnabi, UNESCO Chair in Education for Sustainable Development, Green Skills and Climate Actions; JICA senior official S M Rezaul Islam; National University Communication Expert Goutam Barua; Multi-Language Learning Institute Coordinator Md Saiful Islam Shaheen; and College Monitoring and Evaluation Department Director Md Sahab Uddin Ahammad.
Heads of UNESCO, JICA and various National University departments also attended the meeting.
