Cox’s Bazar, which now houses one of the world’s largest refugee camps with nearly one million Rohingya refugees, once had some of Bangladesh’s most biologically diverse forests. However, fuelwood harvesting, timber extraction, and agricultural expansion have caused significant deforestation, resulting in a loss of biodiversity and wildlife habitats.
Since 2018, the Bangladesh government and the humanitarian community have worked together with Rohingya refugees and local communities to restore degraded land in and around the camps.
This is a collection of photo stories about Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi people actively working to restore forests in and around the camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, and the positive impact forests have on their lives.
Nurussaba
40-year-old Rohingya refugee volunteer
I lost everyone back in Myanmar. All I have now are my children. I would do anything for them. This is something else the trees give me – the ability to be the best mother I can be.
Since the Rohingya camps were established, Nurussaba has witnessed many landslides and a lot of lives lost in the early days because there were no trees. She has been planting trees to make sure the hilly areas are safe from landslides, alongside taking care of her eight children since her husband died in Myanmar. Not only do the large, strong trees help to prevent landslides, Nurussaba explains that they also provide shade, which, especially in the summer months, is a huge blessing for her community. She personally appreciates the trees because they create a wind tunnel near her house. This helps keep her home cooler on hot days and her children do nott suffer in the heat as much. Trees are essential for the world to be healthy – Nurussaba understood this after joining the team of reforestation volunteers. She hopes they get to plant more trees.
Photo: WFP, Nihab Rahman
Abdul Gaffar
55-year old Rohingya refugee volunteer
I am thankful to the Almighty for the trees, forest lands he created, otherwise how would we survive in a barren land.
It has been five years since Gaffar and his family moved to Bangladesh from Myanmar and started living in Kutupalong, the world's largest refugee camp. Gaffar explains how he planted and guided different medicinal and herbal plants in the camp despite his disability. Nothing satisfies him more than the smile of his family members when they see the development of greeneries around them. He shares his appreciation for how all the trees are providing shade and keep the environment cooler during the hot summer days and are attracting more wildlife species than ever before.
Photo: CNRS
Hosne Ara
30-year-old Rohingya refugee volunteer
I love planting trees. I love to water them. I love taking care of all the trees. There is never a dull moment with the work I do.
For Hosne Ara, trees are the biggest protector and provider with numerous benefits. She remembers when she first arrived in the camps in Bangladesh from Myanmar there was scarcity of trees. She did not think twice when she was offered an opportunity to plant trees to stabilize and protect slopes. She has been planting trees for the last two years. Hosne Ara explains how she never gets tired of planting and taking care of the trees. She thinks the plantation activities have changed the landscape of the camp area making it more liveable for both humans and all other species. Hosne Ara feels proud to be a volunteer in reforestation activities as she is doing something good for herself, her family and her community.
Photo: CNRS
Raham Khatun
35-year-old Rohingya refugee volunteer
There was only mud when I first started planting. I watered the plants every morning. Now the land is getting green again, making us feel safe and comfortable in the shade.
Raham has been restoring the greenery in the camps by planting trees and carrying out maintenance work since 2018. She recalls that the camps looked like a desert when she first arrived. Now, because the trees hold the earth in place, she explains there are fewer landslides than there were previously. Also, her community feels safe and comfortable in the shade provided by the trees.
Photo: FAO, Saikat Majumder
Mohammad Alamgir
40-year-old Bangladeshi owner of Arafat Nursery in Ukhiya
I produce quality seedlings to support forest restoration initiatives while helping to create jobs in the local community. I am proud to be a part of the collaborative effort to protect environment.
Alamgir is the owner of Arafat Nursery and he is also the president of the Ukhiya Nursery Association. He has been supplying seedlings for reforestation in his area for the last 26 years. He started his nursery out of his passion to make his community greener. He also supplies seedlings for plantation activities in and around the Rohingya refugee camps, working closely with the humanitarian community and Bangladesh Forestry Department to make sure he produces quality seedlings.
Photo: FAO
Md. Tanjimul Alam Arif
34-year-old Bangladeshi Forestry Specialist with FAO
I witnessed how the forest was degraded in Cox’s Bazar and was determined to restore it using nature based solutions and community engagement.
Tanjimul Alam Arif (left in the photo) has been working on environmental restoration in Cox’s Bazar since early 2018. He believes forest conservation is at the heart of sustainable development since forests benefit both the people and the environment in several ways. He works closely with the Bangladeshi Forestry Department, Bangladeshi host community members and Rohingya refugee volunteers to restore trees in and around the camps using nature based solutions.
Photo: FAO, Saikat Majumder