State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said in Rajshahi more tree plantation can be the vital means of biodiversity conservation, resisting of adverse impact of climate change and protection of ecological balance in the region including vast Barind tract.
Terming the tree plantation as the biggest investment, he called for extensive afforestation for elevating socio-economic condition and to protect the high Barind tract from desertification.
He was addressing the post-rally inaugural ceremony of a fortnight-long divisional level tree fair-2017 at Green Plaza of Rajshahi City Corporation on Friday as the chief guest.
Social Forestry Division (SFD) and Office of the Deputy Commissioner jointly organised the event with a call to make tree plantation campaign a social movement as part of the current National Tree Plantation campaign.
With Deputy Commissioner Helal Mahmud Sharif in the chair, Commissioner of Rajshahi division Noor-Ur-Rahman, Superintendent of Police Abdus Salam and Divisional Forest Officer Sazzad Hossain also spoke.
Shahriar Alam said massive tree plantation has become an urgent need for reducing carbon emission at a substantial level and that is very important to protect ecological balance as there is no way but to creating more forest area to maintain an ecological balance.
The chief guest viewed that optimum afforestation could help stop degradation of environment, ecology and biodiversity to make the country a safe habitat for all.
He urged the people to plant at least three saplings each around their respective homesteads or on any open space to help maintain environmental and ecological balance and save the region from the wrath of any future natural catastrophe.
