The social afforestation changes the fate of many people in Rajshahi
Photo: BSS
From MD Aynal Haque
Rajshahi, May 4, 2025 (BSS)-social afforestation, numerous people benefited from them who were marginalized directly or indirectly by them by providing them with lawful dividends in exchange for their role in promoting the trees.
In addition, the participatory program for social reforestation has improved the living conditions of the poor and landless farmers of the beneficiaries in the region, including the huge barind tract by increasing their income to a certain extent because they make a profit share after 10 years of plantation after they have been sold.
Khairun Sundary, 58, a resident of the village of Badalpur under Dhamuirhat Upazila in the Naogaon district, has been working on social reforestation activities since 1993.
Last year she received a profit amount worth 8.75 LAKH as the beneficiary of the Department of Forest.
Sundary spoke to BSS on Thursday and said that she had cultivated and maintained transplanted tree seedlings and in the past 31 years that protected them from various threats and destruction.
“I am very happy to make the profit share and to expect that I should grow more gardens again by transplanting trees,” she said with a smiling face.
Rebeka, Khatun, 62, another beneficiary in Parashheiy village under Patnitala Upazila in the same district, received her profit amount worth 7.32 LAKH last year. Through her 34-year-old tedious efforts, she achieved a tree garden that inspired her to make more gardens again.
“After long 31-year-old relentless efforts, I became successful in the area of growing orchards,” said Bano Bala 65, another beneficiary in the Pustailpara Village under Dhamuirhat Upazila when he spoke to BSS on Friday.
She received her profit share of Taka 7.23 Lakh last year.
Apart from the beneficiaries mentioned above, many people benefited from the social reforestation company in the region.
Rafiquzzaman Shah, divisional Forest Officer (DFO), said BSS that the participatory reforestation activities were accelerated in order to encourage rural population, plant seedlings and maintain the transplanted trees.
The department has implemented various lucrative programs in all 31 Upazilas by Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Natore and Naogaon districts, he said.
The people of the respective areas were given responsibility to take care of the planted seedlings, and after 10 years of plantation they receive a 55 percent share of sale, while 20 percent and five percent are distributed to landowners and local government institutions.
The beneficiary's population came by 3.12 crore around Taka, while the landowners received Taka 40.35 Lakh and Union Parishads (UPS) with 24.85 Lakh in the past two years.
Successful implementations of the program for social forestry always complement the efforts to combat poverty by the government and confronts the negative effects of climate change in the drought -after areas.
Professional reforestation activity encouraged many people, wooden seedlings, medical and fruitful trees in homesteads, road edges, office equipment, embankments, forest areas, premises of religious institutions and other places.
DFO Rafiquzzaman Shah said that from November 2020 you will carry out a five -year project in 32 Upazilas by Rajshahi, Naogaon, Chapainawabganj and Nators.
The Taka 35.13-Crore project entitled “Environmental Protection through Social Forestry in the Rajshahi Barind Tract Region” has the improvement of the environmentally friendly natural tourist place of the Altadighi National Park in Dhamoirhat Upazila in the Naogaon district.
With the intervention of the program, around 4,150 people have started to support them with the adaptation of climate change by their participation in the social forum activities in connection with the protection of biological diversity.
Apart from that, 3,250 households of ethnic minorities and other less obvious groups receive support in socio -economic development through their participation in forestry and different income generation companies.
Various infrastructures, including an observation tower, a bench, a street, a parking lot, a specific guide card, a footpath, the toilet and the water supply, center the park.
It also has a provision of distributions of six LAKH seedlings from fruit, forest and herb trees among poor people who are transplanted free of charge for transplantation so that they can meet their requirements for nutrition and fuel.
DFO Rafiq Shah said that you will generate a 600-kilometer strip forest, a 100 hectare forest garden and a 50 hectare garden with seedlings of endangered, extinct and long-term tree species during the project time until June 2026.
They will also transplant 40,000 seedlings of house and ornamental plant species, three LAKH palms and 5,000 embroidery plants.
The role of the palm is very important in order to reduce the victim's rate caused by a Thunderbolt that claims life both by humans and domestic animals every year. A herb garden is generated with around 1,250 seedlings of medicinal plants.
Enrichment plantations are carried out on 20 hectares of land for the development of a natural Shal forest and two arboretums with extinct trees and a generation of herb gardens with medicinal plants are produced.
Seats, footpaths and other essential infrastructures are built on the embankments and adjacent areas of Sonadighi and Dibor Dighi to make them attractive to visitors and tourists.
The population and observers of the beneficiaries will receive training as a training as a orchard and its management, environmental protection, the adverse effects of climate change as well as adaptation and reduction, environmentally friendly eco-tourism management and its nature conservation fighting and combating nature conservation for wildlife.