Jannatul S M Naeem, a young climate activist from the coastal Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira district in southwestern Bangladesh, has secured an opportunity to represent Bangladeshi youth at the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Panic has gripped five villages in Sharankhola upazila of Bagerhat district after a tiger reportedly strayed into a settlement from the Sundarbans. Forest officials are using drones to search paddy fields for the animal, while villagers have reduced their movement at night. Residents have reported pugmarks in rice fields and other locations, prompting forest guards and members of local tiger response and patrol groups to launch public awareness campaigns.
A government-built scenic complex that serves as a vital source of safe drinking water for thousands of people in Gabura Union, Shyamnagar upazila, Satkhira, is at risk of being lost to river erosion and saltwater intrusion because of years of neglect.
Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) and Arannyak Foundation have found that 39 percent of sundari trees in the Sundarbans are affected by top-dying disease. In numerical terms, nearly 12 crore 95 lakh trees are affected. Of these, 2 crore 2 lakh 40 thousand trees are severely damaged. Increased salinity, reduced freshwater flow and climate change along with various environmental pressures have created fresh concern over the existence of sundari trees. The research has also revealed that the carbon absorption capacity of the Sundarbans has decreased by 15 percent. This has raised concern about the forest’s natural balance, biodiversity and its role in tackling climate change.
A social forestry initiative has seen 2,000 trees planted along the Betna River in Tetuldanga village, Ward 6 of Dhulihar Union, in Satkhira Sadar upazila, as part of efforts to combat the adverse effects of climate change, protect ecological balance and promote sustainable development.
Twenty-five rural women from the coastal areas of Satkhira have been honoured for their outstanding contributions to agriculture, biodiversity conservation, food security and community leadership amid the challenges of climate change, rising salinity and environmental degradation.