Mangrove afforestation for environmental sustainability in Bangladesh
New landmark in Friendship’s activities
In its commitment to allocate funds to finance the international fight against climate change in developing countries, the Luxembourg Ministry of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure (Ministère du Développement Durable et des Infrastructures, le MDDI) has recently approved a new 5-years project submitted by Friendship Luxembourg.
The global objective of this brand new project is the plantation of mangroves forests for environmental sustainability in Bangladesh to enhance adaptation efforts towards climate change and to improve the resilience of protective ecosystems through afforestation and reforestation programmes in Satkhira District, involving coastal communities and stakeholders by creating impact awareness. The project budget is about 576.000 € for 5 years of which 500.000 is subsidized by the MDDI and the rest financed from own funds of Friendship Luxembourg.
According to the World Bank, Bangladesh is one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to natural hydro-meteorological disasters such as cyclones and floods. It is proven that mangrove forests store carbon in large quantities and protect human lives, crops and buildings on the coast. It also reduces embankment erosion and soil salinization and increases fish resources in estuary waters.
Friendship’s afforestation project will act on four major aspects. First, plant ecologically resilient, mixed species of mangrove trees to halt biodiversity loss. Second, largely and strongly involve local communities in the plantation work (with a focus on poor and vulnerable people from different occupation, gender and ages). Third, actively protect plantations from intrusion and degradation in order to guarantee a long-lasting forest. Fourth, create awareness and new livelihoods opportunities for local involved beneficiaries.
The general idea of the project is to give an alternative income to 1200 community persons during the plantation phase of 40ha (spread on 2 years and 2 villages). After plantation, community people will also be trained in order to increase their capacities regarding livelihoods alternatives. After completing the training course, it is expected that the beneficiaries will have the capacity to generate new sources of income, without having to cut the mangrove and exploit the surfaces as they did before. To achieve this result, we will rely on Friendship’s extensive experience in Education and Sustainable Economic Development, strengthening therefore the presence and the integrated approach of Friendship in this area. Many groups meetings and follow-up meetings will be planned through the course of the project. The Bangladesh Forest Department will be involved at all stages of the project which will allow to scale-up and create more learnings.
To follow this Friendship project in the coming months, visit our site regularly.
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