Planting 20 million trees is easy. Growing 20 million trees is the real challenge

Bangladesh has never lacked ambition when it comes to tree planting. Government agencies, universities, NGOs and private organisations frequently announce campaigns involving hundreds of thousands — or even millions — of saplings. The latest proposal by the National University to plant 20 million trees in five years has understandably attracted public attention.

At first glance, the number appears staggering. In reality, it is not.

Twenty million saplings over five years translates into about four million saplings annually. In a country of more than 170 million people, supported by thousands of educational institutions, government offices, businesses, community organisations and volunteers, planting four million saplings a year is logistically achievable. If just one million students each planted four saplings annually, the target would theoretically be met.

The real question, however, is not whether Bangladesh can plant 20 million saplings. It is whether those saplings can survive long enough to become healthy trees that genuinely improve the country's environment. That distinction matters.

Too often, tree-planting campaigns are judged by the number of seedlings distributed or planted during colourful inauguration ceremonies. Months or years later, very few people ask how many of those saplings are still alive.

A successful restoration programme begins by answering a series of practical questions. Where exactly will the trees be planted? Who owns or manages the land? Which species are appropriate for each location? Who will water, protect and maintain the saplings during the first three years, when mortality is highest? Who will monitor survival? And how will ecological success be measured?

Without convincing answers, even the most ambitious campaign risks becoming a numerical exercise rather than an environmental achievement.

Contrary to popular belief, Bangladesh's greatest limitation is not producing seedlings. Government nurseries, private entrepreneurs, NGOs and community initiatives already produce millions every year. The country's real constraints are suitable land, long-term stewardship, protection from grazing and vandalism, adequate water during establishment and continuous monitoring.

These challenges become even greater in one of the world's most densely populated countries.

Land in Bangladesh is under relentless pressure from agriculture, housing, roads, industries and expanding urban centres. Areas that appear vacant often perform important ecological or economic functions. Consequently, finding millions of suitable planting locations may prove considerably more difficult than raising millions of seedlings.

There is another misconception that deserves attention: planting trees is different from creating forests.

A forest is far more than an accumulation of trees. It is a complex living ecosystem comprising native vegetation, fungi, insects, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, micro-organisms and countless ecological interactions that have developed over centuries. Rows of fast-growing exotic trees or monoculture plantations may increase green cover, but they rarely provide the biodiversity, ecological resilience or ecosystem services of natural forests.

Modern restoration science therefore places far greater emphasis on restoring ecosystems than simply increasing tree numbers. Species selection is central to that objective.

Contrary to popular belief, Bangladesh's greatest limitation is not producing seedlings. Government nurseries, private entrepreneurs, NGOs, and community initiatives already produce millions every year. The country's real constraints are suitable land, long-term stewardship, protection from grazing and vandalism, adequate water during establishment and continuous monitoring.

Bangladesh possesses an extraordinary diversity of indigenous trees capable of supporting wildlife while simultaneously benefiting local communities. Native figs (Ficus species), for example, are among the country's most valuable ecological resources because they produce fruit throughout the year, sustaining birds, bats and mammals during periods of food scarcity.

Even leaves are used as fodder. Banyan, jackfruit, mango, bael, elephant apple, black plum, kadam, bakul, shimul, palash and numerous other native species provide shade, food, nectar, nesting sites and ecosystem services that exotic ornamental species often cannot.

Similarly, flowering shrubs such as rangan and akanda support butterflies and pollinating insects, while fruit-bearing trees like amloki, titijam, jamrul and latkan provide food for wildlife and people alike.

Thoughtful species selection can therefore transform a planting programme into a genuine biodiversity restoration initiative rather than a simple landscaping exercise.

Internationally, restoration projects are increasingly evaluated using outcome-based indicators instead of planting statistics. Success is measured through sapling survival, canopy development, biodiversity recovery, carbon sequestration, soil conservation, watershed protection, urban cooling and community participation.

By these standards, planting five million saplings that achieve an 85% survival rate may deliver substantially greater environmental benefits than planting 20 million saplings, of which most perish within a few years.

For this reason, transparency should become an integral component of any large-scale planting programme.

If the institution leading the campaign wishes to earn public confidence, it should publish annual planting targets, planting locations, species lists, survival-rate assessments, independent audits and publicly accessible progress reports. Such transparency would enable scientists, policymakers and citizens to evaluate the programme on measurable ecological outcomes rather than impressive headline figures.

The initiative could also become a model for collaborative environmental stewardship. Universities have enormous potential to mobilise students, schools, local communities, government agencies, NGOs and private landowners across the country. With proper planning, scientific guidance and long-term maintenance, the proposed target could become more than a symbolic campaign: it could evolve into one of Bangladesh's most significant ecological restoration efforts.

Yet the emphasis must remain firmly on restoration rather than publicity.

The environmental value of a tree is realised not on the day it is planted but decades later, when it provides shade, stores carbon, stabilises soil, shelters wildlife and withstands storms.

Perhaps the most meaningful commitment any organisation could make is remarkably simple: publish annual survival-rate assessments for every planting campaign. Counting saplings on planting day is easy. Counting living trees three or five years later is the true measure of success.

Bangladesh certainly possesses the capacity to plant 20 million saplings. Whether it can establish 20 million healthy, thriving trees will depend on scientific planning, ecological wisdom, transparency and sustained care.

In environmental restoration, the lasting legacy is never determined by the number announced at a launch ceremony. It is measured by the trees that are still standing long after the banners have disappeared.

Reza Khan is a wildlife, zoo and safari park management and conservation specialist.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.