Guests at an event celebrating “International Biodiversity Day 2025” at Madhupur National Park on 25 May 2025. Photo: Courtesy
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Guests at an event celebrating “International Biodiversity Day 2025” at Madhupur National Park on 25 May 2025. Photo: Courtesy
No more exotic trees will be allowed to be planted in the Madhupur Sal Forest in Tangail upazila, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan said today (25 May).
“Only sal trees will be planted in the forest. Out of every 100 trees, 70 will be sal and 30 will be companion species, but no exotic trees will be allowed,” she said at an event celebrating ‘International Biodiversity Day 2025’ at Madhupur National Park.
Rizwana attended the event as the chief guest, which also included the inauguration of the Madhupur Sal Forest Restoration project.
She also warned, “You must commit not to cultivate pineapple or banana on hundreds of acres of forest land. Cultivation should only cover what is necessary for personal use or sale. Large-scale use of hormones and pesticides that damage the sal forest will not be tolerated.”
She also announced that the government is committed to restoring the degraded Sal forests, announcing that Sal trees will be planted on 750 acres this year and on 6,610 acres over the next three years.
The adviser also announced that some 129 cases filed by the Forest Department against the Garo community in Tangail’s Madhupur will be withdrawn.
“We have decided to withdraw the cases against the Garo community. However, cases involving assaults on Forest Department personnel will not be withdrawn. We do not tolerate any attacks on our forest officials,” she said.
“The local communities must not be harassed in any way. I am instructing the Forest Department accordingly,” she added.
She also said the government will finalise decisions on forest land by June-July, after which a land settlement will be made for the indigenous Garo community.
Wildlife expert Professor Dr Mohammad Ali Reza Khan was the keynote speaker at the event.
Environment advisor releases peacocks, turtles in Madhupur Sal forest
Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan released 10 peacocks and 6 yellow-backed turtles in the Madhupur Sal forest.
She released the animals at Dokhla in Madhupur National Park, Tangail.
“We want the wild animals to stay in the forest. Peacocks are no longer in nature, so we brought the peacocks from Gazipur Safari Park and kept them here in a small area. We will gradually make them compatible with the environment and release them into the forest.”
She also urged for the need to stop illegal encroachment on forest land.
“We are trying to rescue the forest lands that are owned by government agencies, including the military.”
Renowned wildlife expert Professor Dr Mohammad Ali Reza Khan said, “When a species is lost, we have to selectively identify places and take initiatives to preserve them. The peacocks have to be managed here for a year. After that, the future of this project will depend on the hatchlings.”
He said it will take one-and-a-half to two years for the chicks to grow up and at some point, those will release them into the Sal Forest.
“The Sal Forest is the original habitat of the peacocks. They will be able to adapt here.”