The new Bangladesh government, led by the BNP, has announced an ambitious "National Green Mission" to plant 250 million trees over the next five years to combat climate change and environmental degradation. 

The announcement by the new Government of Bangladesh to plant 250 million trees in the shortest possible time is undoubtedly encouraging. In a country where forest cover is limited and biodiversity is under increasing pressure from population growth, infrastructure development, and climate change, such an initiative has the potential to bring substantial ecological benefits (FAO, 2020; Hughes, 2017; Bangladesh Forest Department, 2022). If implemented wisely, it could help restore degraded landscapes, stabiliae soils, enhance carbon sequestration, and revive wildlife habitats across the country (Lamb, 2018).

However, experience from previous nationwide plantation programmes raises an important concern. In the past, large-scale tree planting in Bangladesh has frequently relied on fast-growing exotic species, particularly Acacia and Eucalyptus. These species have often been introduced into natural forest ecosystems such as the Sal (Shorea robusta) forests of central and northwestern Bangladesh and the mixed evergreen forests of Greater Sylhet and the Chittagong region (Rahman, 2011; Gain, 2002).