Working voluntarily, members will advise the Tree Plantation Cell on technology, policy reforms, climate finance, public outreach and independent evaluation of the national plantation initiative.
Bangladesh’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has formed an expert advisory pool to support implementation of the government’s “25 crore tree plantation in five years” programme, assigning it roles ranging from policy advice and data-based monitoring to climate finance, carbon credits and international fundraising.
The pool will provide specialised knowledge, experience and advice to the Tree Plantation Cell and its supporting task force to help implement the programme, according to a government notification dated August 20, 2026. Dr Md Saimum Parvez, special assistant to the prime minister on environment, forest and climate change, has been named chair of the pool.
A.S.M. Amanullah, vice-chancellor of Bangladesh’s National University, is a member of the pool, along with Golam Iftekhar Mahmud, editor and publisher of Dhaka Stream.
Other members are Mostofa Kamal Palash, a weather and climate researcher at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, and Dr Faisal Kabir Shuvo, a researcher and spatial data scientist at Sydney Water in Australia.
Strategic communication specialist Sadikur Rahman and Mohammad Jubail Bin Alam, a technical expert on sustainable development and climate change, have also been included.
Nahid Zaman Soma, assistant director at Bangladesh University of Professionals and vice-president of All Broadcasters Community, is another member.
Engineer Salahuddin Ahmed Raihan, chief executive officer of ASM Engineers and Consultants, and M. Zakir Hossain Khan, co-founder and managing director of Change Initiative, are also on the pool.
The membership further includes Md Zahid Hasan Siddiqui, a GIS and remote sensing specialist with the ICT, GIS and Remote Sensing Division at IWM, and Engineer Shah Adnan Mahmud, a technical expert on climate and renewable energy financing.
Md Ali Imam, a consultant with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the World Bank, is also a member.
Md Mehedi Hasan Khan, wildlife and biodiversity conservation officer at the RIMS Unit of the Forest Department at Ban Bhaban in Agargaon, has been named member-secretary.
Under its terms of reference, the pool will provide periodic technical and professional support according to the needs of the Tree Plantation Cell and submit reports to the cell through the task force.
It will give opinions on policies, strategies and guidelines related to the programme and review existing policy frameworks before recommending necessary amendments, modifications and reforms.
The experts will also provide technical advice on the use of modern technologies, including geographic information systems, remote sensing and spatial data science, for selecting plantation sites, mapping, monitoring progress and making data-based decisions.
Another responsibility will be to identify opportunities related to carbon credits and climate finance connected with the programme and provide necessary technical advice in light of international commitments, including Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
The pool will assist in establishing communication with bilateral and multilateral climate funds and international development partners and in determining strategies for mobilising finance.
It will independently monitor and evaluate activities, projects and initiatives under the programme and make recommendations after reviewing their progress.
The experts will also help develop plans to raise broad public awareness about the programme, promote it through the media and formulate strategic communication plans.
Meetings of the pool must be held at least twice a year, although meetings may be called at any time when necessary.
Members will perform their duties on a voluntary basis and will not receive any financial, travel or transport benefits for carrying out their responsibilities.
The Forest Department will provide all secretarial support to the advisory pool.
On the advice of the pool, the Tree Plantation Cell may co-opt additional members when necessary.
The notification says the order, issued with the approval of the appropriate authority, will take effect immediately.
Recipients included the Cabinet Secretary in the Cabinet Division, the prime minister’s principal secretary, a senior secretary or secretary, National University Vice-Chancellor A.S.M. Amanullah and the additional secretary of the administration wing of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Copies were also sent to Golam Iftekhar Mahmud, Mostofa Kamal Palash, Dr Faisal Kabir Shuvo, Sadikur Rahman, Mohammad Jubail Bin Alam, Nahid Zaman Soma, Engineer Salahuddin Ahmed Raihan and M. Zakir Hossain Khan.
The circulation list continued with Md Zahid Hasan Siddiqui, Engr. Shah Adnan Mahmood, Climate & Renewable Energy Finance Expert, Country Lead-Bangladesh, Geocal Inc. and Md Ali Imam, as well as the acting Chief Conservator of Forests at the Forest Department.
It also included the private secretary to the environment, forest and climate change minister at the Bangladesh Secretariat in Dhaka, for the minister’s information, and the private secretary to the prime minister’s political adviser and adviser to the Ministry of Agriculture, at the Prime Minister’s Office, for the adviser’s information.
The private secretary to the state minister at the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change was also included for the state minister’s information.
The Deputy Director of the Bangladesh Forms and Publications Office was requested to publish the notification in an extra issue of the Bangladesh Gazette and send 50 copies to the ministry.
Copies were also directed to the private secretary to the ministry secretary for the secretary’s information and to the private secretary to the prime minister’s special assistant on environment, forest and climate change for the special assistant’s information.
Md Mehedi Hasan Khan of the RIMS Unit at the Forest Department’s Ban Bhaban in Agargaon was included in the circulation list.
The ministry’s ICT section system analyst was requested to publish the notification on the ministry’s website. The circulation list also contained an unspecified 26th entry and an office copy as the 27th entry.
