Online Desk: Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury said forests cannot be destroyed by building roads or any other infrastructure.

“Working together, we can all give a beautiful Bangladesh to the future and present generations by conserving forests, wildlife and biodiversity,” he said.

The Environment and Forest Minister said these as the chief guest at a discussion programme organised by the Forest Department on Thursday on the occasion of the International Forest Day 2024 with the theme “Forests and Innovation: New Solutions for a Better World”.

The Forest Minister said that afforestation and monitoring activities are being digitised.

Successful forest monitoring and crime prevention is being done in the Sundarbans through the introduction of smart patrolling system, he said.

Mobile apps are being prepared to get tickets and other services online for tourists in the Sundarbans and other protected areas, added Saber.

He said that the existing laws, rules and regulations are being updated to achieve various targets.

Chief Forest Conservator Md. Amir Hossain Chowdhury presided over the occasion whereas Environment, Forest and Climate Change Secretary Dr. Farhana Ahmed, Additional Secretary (Administration) Iqbal Abdullah Harun; Aranyak Foundation Chairman Professor Dr. A. J. M. Manjur Rashid and SUFAL Project Director Gobinda Roy spoke among others.

Cheques were distributed to the beneficiaries of social forestry and prizes were distributed to the winners of the ‘Tree Identification’ competition held on the occasion of International Forest Day.