For addressing global climate change scenario, forests serve as a source of resilience – absorbing harmful CO2 emissions, providing resources to local populations, and through forest-landscape design to protect communities from increasingly erratic climatic impacts. IDCOL and Bangladesh Forest Department developed a concept note titled “Climate Resilient Sustainable Coastal Forestry in Bangladesh” to address this issue. The project will reduce forest degradation and increase forest coverage through participatory planning/monitoring to contribute in building the long-term resilience of selected communities in coastal areas of Bangladesh to climate change.

The project will also strengthen the climate resilient livelihood activities in the targeted areas by following a conservation-linked value chain approach. This is expected to improve and diversify non-forest-based livelihood opportunities of poor forest dependent households in selected forest communities and thus safeguard the forest and ensure sustainability of the project.

Bangladesh Forest Department, MoEFCC, GoB is the Executing Entity of the project. The development of project proposal is under process now with PPF support from GCF. The proposed project is expected to have a total value of USD 80 million, with GCF financing of USD 60 million and the rest USD 20.00 million as co-financing from Bangladesh Forest Department.