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The Department of Environment (DoE) on Thursday signed two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with the Forest Department and the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) to scale up locally led climate adaptation initiatives in the climate-vulnerable Chattogram Hill Tracts and Barind region.
The agreements were signed at the DoE office in Dhaka with technical support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The MoUs were signed under the Integrating Climate Change Adaptation into Sustainable Development Pathways of Bangladesh (SD Pathways) project, funded by the Global Environment Facility-Least Developed Countries Fund (GEF-LDCF) and implemented by the DoE with technical support from UNDP.
DoE Director General Dr Md Lutfar Rahman said the agreements marked a commitment to taking concrete climate action for vulnerable communities.
“By combining DoE’s oversight with the specialised expertise of the Forest Department and BMDA, we are ensuring that climate adaptation reaches the grassroots level effectively, transparently and sustainably,” he said.
Chief Conservator of Forests Md Amir Hosain Chowdhury highlighted the importance of ecosystem restoration in the Chattogram Hill Tracts.
“The ecosystem of the Chittagong Hill Tracts requires targeted conservation. Through this MoU, the Forest Department will leverage its technical expertise and field presence to restore natural watersheds and Village Common Forests, placing local indigenous communities at the heart of forest stewardship,” he said.
BMDA Executive Director Jahangir Alam Khan said the authority’s more than four decades of experience in the Barind region would help deliver sustainable water management solutions.
The partnership, he said, would provide farmers with climate-smart irrigation, combat soil degradation and protect agricultural livelihoods from severe drought.
UNDP Assistant Resident Representative in Bangladesh Sarder M Asaduzzaman reaffirmed the UNDP’s support for the initiative.
He said the partnership directly supported the government’s priorities on sustainable afforestation and water resource management while creating a scalable climate adaptation model that could be replicated elsewhere in Bangladesh.
Under the two agreements, adaptation activities will be carried out in Rangamati and Naogaon districts.
In Kaptai and Barkal upazilas of Rangamati, the Forest Department will restore 90 hectares of Village Common Forests and 115 hectares of agroforestry under a Tk 2.52 crore programme running from August 2026 to May 2028.
In drought-prone Sapahar and Mohadevpur upazilas of Naogaon, BMDA will strengthen water security through climate-smart irrigation, restoration of water bodies and 85 hectares of afforestation.
The BMDA programme, valued at Tk 10.44 crore, will run from August 2026 to June 2028.
The initiatives are expected to strengthen ecosystem resilience, improve water security and protect livelihoods in two of Bangladesh’s most climate-vulnerable regions.