Environment

Wildlife, climate at heart of post-pandemic recovery: PM endorses ‘Pledge for Nature’

Global leaders including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today...
Reconstruction in Ramna Park: Petition seeks HC order for inquiry into cost

A petition has been filed with the High Court seeking its directive...
Global climate activists urge Japan to stop financing coal plant in Matarbari

In an online rally today, climate activists across the globe urged...

Sri Lanka returns 21 containers of illegal waste to Britain

Sri Lanka has shipped back to Britain 21 container-loads of waste...
UN roundtable on climate: PM places 5-point recommendation to protect planet

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today placed a five-point...
A third of my country was just underwater; world must act on climate: Sheikh Hasina

In a write-up published in The Guardian today, Prime Minister...

Upazila admin demolishes brick kiln built on canal in Ctg’s Banshkhali

A brick kiln which was built on land grabbed from a canal was...
Tk 202-cr project envisions development of local fish, snail

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec)...
3 dead as wildfire explodes in Northern California

Three people died in a wind-whipped Northern California wildfire...

Sylhet Ratargul watchtower ‘risky’, closed to tourists

The watchtower overlooking the Ratargul Swamp Forest in Gowainghat...
DoE seizes excavator used for hill cutting in Chattogram

The Department of Environment (DoE) in Chattogram today seized an...
5 contracting agencies fined Tk 25 lakh for razing hills at Chakaria

Five contracting agencies, who were working under Max JV Company...

Mobilise global support to address climate refugee issue: PM to G20

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said the G20 has a greater...
Hydroponics grass could be the answer to Kurigram’s fodder crisis

At least twenty women from Kurigram’s Sadar, Ulipur, Chilmari and...
Increase contributions to combat climate change: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurates the South Asian Regional...

Endangered Asian elephant found dead in Sherpur forest

An endangered Asian elephant was found dead at a forest in Katabari...
Bengal loach returns to Hakaluki Haor after nearly a decade

Exactly when the world went into a complete standstill due to the...
RMCH, adjacent areas turn into shelter for birds

Rajshahi Medical College campus and areas around the hospital...

PM to open regional Global Centre on Adaptation

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the Bangladesh...
Polluting Turag: DoE shuts operation of 8 plants

The Department of Environment stopped operations of eight illegal...
As floods wreak havoc, Chalanbeel gets draped in beauty

The flood has brought along destruction in its wake. But for...

Dhaka canals should be under authority of DSCC, DNCC: state minister for industries suggests

State Minister for Industries Kamal Ahmed Majumder today suggested...
DoE fines Water Development Board Tk 10.6 lakh for damaging river

The Department of Environment (DoE) Chattogram region fined the...
Ctg DoE fines 5 businesses Tk 23.5 lakh for environmental damage

The Department of Environment (DoE) in Chattogram has region fined...

Fires in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest surge in July, worst in recent days

The number of fires in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest jumped 28% in July from a year ago, official data shows, as some environmentalists have warned a jump could signal a repeat of last year’s surging destruction of the world’s largest rainforest.
Experts slate coal-based power policy; urge focus on renewables

Bangladesh’s policy to set up coal-fired power plants will result in a long-term financial burden, a speaker say at a webinar.
Bonayan hands over 2,000 saplings to Rab

Bonayan, the largest private afforestation program in Bangladesh, and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) are collaborating for a tree plantation program to celebrate "Mujib Borsho" -- the birth centennial of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman -- and 40 years of Bonayan, which began in 1980.
Waste washed ashore on Cox’s Bazar beach: clean-up begins Wednesday

Cox’s Bazar district administration has formed a five-member committee to look into how waste washed ashore and got scattered along the Cox’s Bazar beach.
‘Save our village forest’

Residents of remote Kalu Mro Para in Bandarban’s Lama upazila have called upon the authorities concerned to protect the forest in their village from being destroyed by alleged criminals.
Tranquil Bogura college campus becomes bird paradise

Once crowded and noisy, the Bogura Govt Azizul Haque College campus remains quiet for months, due to closure during the pandemic. The silver lining? The green grounds becoming a bird paradise.
Thousands in search of relief, drinking water as flood worsens in Gaibandha, Bogura

Thousands of people in flood-affected areas of Bogura and Gaibandha districts are in search of safe shelter, a source of fresh drinking water, sanitation facilities and relief goods but to no avail. The condition continues to deteriorate as the waters of Brahmaputra, Jamuna and Ghagot rivers is rising steadily.
BELA awarded 2020 Tang Prize in ‘rule of law’

Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) has received the 2020 Tang Prize in ‘Rule of Law’ for its “efforts in furthering the rule of law and its institutions through education and advocacy”.
Cyclone Amphan brings five new sea birds to Bangladesh

At least five new birds were seen for the first time in Bangladesh between May 21 and 22 this year.
(Watch) A look into the lives of Cambodia’s gentle giants

For generations, elephants have been inextricably tied to the lands of Mondulkiri in Cambodia. The people who call this place their home -- the indigenous Bunong community -- share a unique bond with the gentle giants of the land.
Crocodile ‘Pilpil’ lays 44 eggs in Sundarbans conservation centre

Saltwater crocodiles in Sundarbans face multiple threats—habitat degradation, poaching, development pressure, climate change and rising pollution, to name a few.
Ctg contractor fined Tk 3 lakh for cutting hills

A Chattogarm based contractor is fined Tk 3 lakh for illegally flattening 24,000 square feet of hill without prior permission from the Department of Environment (DoE) at Raozan upazila of Chattogram, after The Daily Star ran a report on hill cutting at the area.
Investigators narrow down 3 suspects in death of pregnant elephant in Kerala

Investigators have zeroed in on three suspects in connection with the death of a pregnant elephant that ate a pineapple stuffed with explosives in a forest in the Indian state of Kerala, reports our New Delhi correspondent quoting the state’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
‘Repair embankments damaged in Cyclone Amphan on urgent basis’

National and local NGOs working in coastal areas today asked the government to repair embankments damaged in Cyclone Amphan on an emergency basis to save crops in the upcoming monsoon.
UN chief urges countries to work together to preserve biodiversity

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged all to work together to preserve biodiversity and help achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
HC forms committee to protect biodiversity in Halda river

The High Court forms a committee, headed by the deputy commissioner of Chattogram, in order to protect biodiversity of the Halda river in the district.
Amphan intensifies into super cyclone: Met office

The Bangladesh Meteorological Department today asked maritime ports of Mongla and Payra to hoist danger signal number seven as the super cyclone “Amphan” has meant a rough sea.
Eggs of critically endangered turtle hatches in Sundarbans

Thirty-three eggs of critically endangered Northern River Terrapin (Batagur Baska) have hatched inside the Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Centre located within the world’s largest mangrove forest—Sundarbans.
Writ petition seeks HC directives to protect Halda river dolphins

A Supreme Court lawyer today filed a writ petition with the High Court seeking its directive on the authorities concerned of the government to immediately take necessary steps to prevent killing Halda river dolphins and to protect them.
Madaripur woman sent to jail for killing 13 monkeys

A woman was sent to jail today for reportedly killing 13 monkeys in Madaripur municipality’s Maddya-Khagdi area on May 5.
Amid shutdown, conservationists celebrate World Migratory Bird day on social media

The Covid-19 induced shutdown has forced pretty much everyone into the confines of their homes or shelters, except for wildlife. Even though, there aren’t so many people out there to celebrate the wild right now, the wild rages on in its full (or what remains) glory.
At least 15 monkeys ‘poisoned’ to death in Madaripur

Scarcity of food in their natural habitats has prompted monkeys to venture out to localities in many areas of Bangladesh.
Experts say insects over Teknaf farm are a kind of grasshopper, not locust

Experts have finally put an end to fears of a possible locust attack over a deserted farm in Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf upazila and concluded that the insects seen last month are in fact “spotted grasshoppers”.
COVID-19 to cause record emissions fall in 2020

COVID-19 is expected to cause global energy emissions to fall a record eight percent this year due to an unprecedented drop in demand for coal, oil and gas, the International Energy Agency said yesterday.
‘They come out when humans stay home’

An unplanned grand experiment is changing Earth. As people across the globe stay home to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, the air has cleaned up, albeit temporarily. People are also noticing animals in places and at times they don’t usually. When people stay home, Earth becomes cleaner and wilder.
Vulnerable porpoise, dolphin found dead in Cox’s Bazar in the span of 2 days

On regular days, you will be hard-pressed to find much biodiversity along the beaches of Cox’s Bazar. Even coming across a jellyfish, has resulted in squeals from many a visitor. So, a sighting of a large marine mammal, albeit dead, is reason for news. That too, two days in a row. Yesterday, an Indo-Pacific Finless Porpoise, considered globally vulnerable according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), washed ashore at Shamlapur beach in Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf upazila.
Star report prompts conservation action along the beaches of Cox’s Bazar

News is considered to be the first draft of history; it also happens to be a catalyst for action. At least in this case. On March 31, The Daily Star ran a report on the return of sagarlata also known as beach morning glory on the beaches of Cox’s Bazar -- owing to a fall in human movement in the area.
12 vultures being released from Singra National Forest

Authorities have begun releasing 12 migratory vultures -- including eleven Himalayan griffons and one Cinereous vulture -- from the Vulture Rescue Centre at Singra National Forest in Dinajpur today.
Kuakata's red crabs return to the beach

A shut-down is being enforced across the country to prevent the spread of coronavirus and tourist spots, including Kuakata’s beaches, have also been closed. With human activity at these spots grinding to a halt, nature has found ways to flourish.
Bonayan: Largest private sector-driven afforestation programme celebrating 40 years

Around two decades ago, Joynal Abedin would not have thought of owning a property or business institution as he was struggling to earn a livelihood. The man, hailing from Shimulia village under Mirpur upazila of Kushtia, worked his land and had a small business.