Dhaka added its second Miyawaki urban forest on Monday as Shakti Foundation for Disadvantaged Women, Mutual Trust Bank (MTB) and Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) stepped up efforts to restore green space and strengthen the capital’s resilience to climate change through dense native afforestation.
The 2,285-square-metre forest at Uttara Sector-17 Lakeside, inaugurated to mark World Nature Conservation Day, features 6,100 trees from 93 native fruit, flowering and medicinal species, according to a press statement.
Developed using the Miyawaki afforestation method, the project is designed to accelerate forest growth in limited urban spaces, helping reduce heat, improve air quality and create biodiversity-rich green corridors in one of the world’s fastest-growing megacities.
RAJUK Chairman Md Riazul Islam said urban forests had become essential to building a greener and more climate-resilient Dhaka, urging communities, financial institutions and public agencies to jointly ensure their long-term maintenance.
MTB Managing Director and CEO Syed Mahbubur Rahman said restoring urban green spaces was becoming increasingly important as cities expanded, adding that sustainable development and environmental conservation must progress together.
Shakti Foundation Deputy Executive Director Imran Ahmed said the project’s long-term success would depend on maintaining the plantation during its first two years, after which the trees could develop into a self-sustaining forest.
The initiative brings together the public and private sectors to promote nature-based climate solutions aimed at improving urban liveability, reducing environmental stress and making Dhaka more resilient to climate change.
