Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is set to inaugurate the World Environment Day and Environment Fair-2026 and the National Tree Plantation Campaign and Tree Fair-2026 at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre on July 9, as the government launches an ambitious Smart Forestry programme targeting the plantation and digital monitoring of 250 million trees over the next five years.

The announcement was made by Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo at a press conference in Dhaka on Wednesday (8 July).

The minister said the government has adopted a landmark five-year master plan to plant and properly maintain 250 million trees across the country in line with its 2026 election manifesto. To oversee the implementation of the programme, a dedicated national-level cell has been formed under the Prime Minister’s Office.

Under the Smart Forestry initiative, every planted tree will be digitally monitored using GIS, remote sensing technology and a National Tree Database. A central tree monitoring system will record the location, growth and survival rate of saplings across the country.

The government also plans to deploy drone technology to monitor afforestation activities in remote char areas, coastal belts and forest regions, enabling more efficient management of plantations in hard-to-reach locations.

The minister said the technology-driven forestry programme is designed to improve the survival rate of planted trees while strengthening climate resilience, biodiversity conservation and sustainable forest management across Bangladesh.

Highlighting the government’s flagship forestry initiative, the minister said the five-year programme will use GIS, remote sensing, drones and a National Tree Database to digitally monitor planted saplings and improve their survival rate.

He said the programme is expected to create more than 350,000 green jobs, while around 10,000 new nursery entrepreneurs will be developed, creating employment opportunities particularly for rural women and youth.

According to the minister, the Forest Department has undertaken a programme to plant 15 million indigenous saplings this year in treeless areas, along roads, canals, embankments and coastal belts.

He said afforestation is also underway on 4,800 hectares of recovered forest land, while 8.332 million saplings have already been planted, representing around 17% of this year’s target.

The minister said the Department of Environment intensified enforcement against pollution during the first six months of 2026.

From January to June, enforcement drives were conducted against 1,525 establishments, resulting in fines amounting to Tk23.34 crore, while utility connections of 112 illegal factories were disconnected.

He also said the government has formulated the National Air Quality Management Plan (NAQMP) and is implementing coordinated programmes to reduce noise pollution.

The minister said 220 mobile courts were conducted nationwide over environmental law violations, filing 486 cases and collecting more than Tk4.31 crore in fines. Authorities also demolished chimneys of 73 brick kilns and disconnected electricity connections to 49 illegal brick kilns.

He said the government has finalised a draft National Strategy and Multi-Year Action Plan for a Lead-Free Bangladesh (2026-2035) with support from UNICEF to tackle lead pollution and protect public health.

The ministry has also prepared draft guidelines on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Plastic Waste Management 2026, which have been sent for legislative vetting before issuance as a statutory regulatory order (SRO).

The press conference was also attended by State Minister Sheikh Faridul Islam, Special Assistant on Environment, Forest and Climate Change Dr Saimum Parvez, Acting Secretary Dr Fahmida Khanam, and senior ministry officials.