Save forest and save Bangladesh and Save our planet – Kamrul Ahsan

Bangladesh Environment Network Australia will celebrate World Environment Day on 5 June in Canberra, Australia by organising a seminar, a rally and joining different programs organised by the Australian Department of Environment and other Environmental group.

We will join tree plantation programs in Sydney and Canberra by planting native trees with local environmental group. BEN will also join a Bridge Walk for Real Action on Climate change with banners on Bangladesh-specific issues related to carbon emission and Sundarban deforestation.

In addition, BEN are publishing an online supplement with the active support of Priyo Australia. Our friends from different parts of the world contributed valuable articles on this issue to raise awareness on climate change.

Similar to last year’s celebration under the United Nation theme 'Many Species. One planet. One Future', this year’s event will celebrate the incredible diversity of life on Earth as part of the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity.

World Environment Day (WED) is an annual event that is aimed at being the biggest and most widely celebrated global day for positive environmental action. WED activities take place all year round but climax on 5 June every year, involving everyone from everywhere. WED 2011 supports the United Nations International Year of Forests with the theme, “Nature; at your service”. The United Nations General Assembly declared 2011 as the International year of forests to raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests.

Forests are large “carbon sinks”, they intake carbon dioxide from the air and emits oxygen which then attempts to keep a balance in the natural “circle of life”. They store carbon and sucks in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere locking it into their biomass. It therefore plays an important role in battling global climate change. Plants are considered as an important mitigation tool for global warming.

The more the plants, the more the forests! The more the forests, the more the cleaner air becomes Forests play a major role in sustaining quality supply of fresh water, more than three quarters of the worlds accessible fresh water comes from the forested catchments. Forests are also the most biologically diverse ecosystem on the land. Many of the planets most threatened, rare and endangered animals live in those forests. Forests provide us with timber, fuel, rubber, paper and medicinal plants which are important natural resources.

As a part of WED celebrations, thousands of activities will also be organized worldwide, with beach clean-ups, concerts, seminars, exhibitions, rallies film festivals, publications, and community events.

WED celebration began in 1972 and has grown to become the one of the main vehicles through which the UN stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and encourages political attention and action.

Through WED, the UN Environment Programme is able to personalize environmental issues and enable everyone to realize not only their responsibility, but also their power to become agents for change in support of sustainable and equitable development every where in the world.

WED is also a day for people from all walks of life to come together to ensure a cleaner, greener and brighter outlook for themselves and future generations.

Everyone counts onn this initiative and WED relies on you to make this happen! We call for action – organize a neighbourhood clean-up, stop using plastic bags and get your community to do the same, plant a tree or better yet organize a collective tree planting effort, walk to work, start a recycling, use public transport etc. The possibilities are endless.

Climate change is the biggest problem facing our planet today, and preserving our remaining forests is a key element of the solution. We all can be a part of that solution too – plant a tree today to help save the remaining forests. The major importance of forests is:-

Nature maintains a balance between carbon dioxide and oxygen and trees helps in bringing sufficient rainfall on earth. Forests are also helps in conservation of soil. It provide habitat to wildlife and help in their preservation. It provides food, medicinal herbs as well as other satisfactory requirement to fulfil our needs.

Our forest including World famous mangrove Sundorbon forest is under treat of climate change and need urgent attention by Bangladesh government and world community Bangladesh is the most vulnerable country to climate change impact.

For Bangladesh, degradation of natural capital and biodiversity has a serious and direct impact on the food security, nutrition and income of the poor. In this context people living in Bangladesh and Bangladeshis around the world need to come forward to work for protecting Environment.

BEN is taking this initiative to bring this supplement to share our information and idea and also aware people of the world to work hand to hand to save our world we live. We are happy and thankful to Chief Editor and team of Priyo Australia for coming forward to bring out this special issue on World Environment Day on a regular basis. We are also thankful to our contributors who write for this supplement.

Bangladesh Environment Network is happy to work hand in hand with the world community to protect World environment and also to make this world liveable for all.

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