Environment and Climate Change


Environment and Climate Change

The Environment and Climate Change" sector program focuses on enhancing resilience by co-creating knowledge and emphasizing sustainable resource utilization. It prioritizes themes such as Climate Change, Biodiversity, Waste Management, Water Resource Management, the Blue Economy, and Green Growth. The program's objectives encompass innovative environmental solutions, waste management standards, Nature-based Solutions, co-management, locally led adaptation for environmental protection, natural resources management, climate change mitigation and adaptation, infrastructure, and fostering multi-stakeholder collaborations for best environmental practices. Below are the program-specific objectives:

1. To devise innovative environmental, climatic and socially beneficial solutions based on comprehensive research, testing, and contextualization, followed by piloting and documentation for scalability and wider implementation.

2. To develop and showcase leading-edge methods and strategies for i) managing hazardous and non-hazardous waste, ensuring adherence to stringent environmental standards, ii) option for maximizing co-benefits between environment and development e.g., resettlement, and iii) reducing human wildlife conflict.

3. To design and champion sustainable natural resources management (NRM), climate actions (adaptation and mitigation), and infrastructural and nature-based initiatives with a focus on locally-led adaptation (LLA).

4. To foster multi-stakeholder collaborations promoting the widespread adoption of proven methodologies, environmental best practices, and green infrastructure models.

Key Highlights of NRM and Biodiversity Conservation

Projects have primary focus on NRM (forests, wetlands, coastal zones, etc.), biodiversity conservation, habitat restoration, critical habitats creation for biodiversity, making water availability for human and nature, waste management etc. fall under this theme. Usually NRM projects have components on livelihoods, climate change, DRR, etc. Such as, PROKRITI is an NRM project but has components on livelihoods, governance as cross cutting theme.


  • Ecosystems based management and biodiversity conservation in 700,000 ha areas under 7 forest PAs and 4 wetlands PAs including ecologically critical areas and Ramsar site with the support of USAID/ Chemonics.
  • Freshwater swamp forest restoration in 2,000 ha areas and planted 2 million swamp species trees with the support of UNDP.
  • Mangrove restoration in 1,000 ha areas with the support of USAID.
  • Increased 20% biodiversity in selected areas in and around Kutupalong Rohingya Mega Refugee Camps with the support of UNHCR.
  • Developed Kutupalong Rohingya Mega Refugee Camps Restoration Plan with the support of UNHCR.
  • Biodiversity for Resilient Livelihoods covers 1891 square kilometers in 3 biodiversity hotspots with the support of Swedish government.
  • Covered 47.72-hectares of land by diverse plantation in Rohingya Camps and Host communities.
  • Along the Kalam Chhara – a sub stream of Madhur Chhara – a 2 K.M. long walkway has been constructed, which improved access and the communication system for Rohingya refugees
  • One Silt trap has been constructed in Camp 4 Ext to collect sediment through the NbS system.
  • Stream Rehabilitation: 24 K.M.
  • Institutional plantation: 12,500 saplings; Homestead Plantation: 8750 saplings
  • 5,27,750 Slips to be grown, nurtured and prepared for slope protection in the vetiver nursery.
  • 88,200 Seedlings to be grown, nurtured and prepared for plantation in plant nursery.
  • Under B4CA project we planted 3,70,000 bamboo saplings with a target of 1 million by 2025 with the support of Switzerland government.
  • Conducted reconnaissance survey in Protected Areas (PA), namely the Teknaf Wildlife Sanctuary, the Sheikh Jamal National Park and the Himchhari National Park to identify requirements to improve ecotourism facilities (three sites)
  • Identification and verification of human-elephant conflict areas and supporting the establishment of bio-fencing.
  • A total of 121 beel re-excavation schemes have been designed where 114 beel re-excavations have been completed.