The flag of Bangladesh consists of a red circle in a green background. While the red signifies the blood of the martyrs, the green represents the country’s environment.
Bangladesh is mostly a deltaic country… green, full of water bodies, and fertile. At least, that is how it was until a few decades ago.
Unfortunately, as Bangladesh industrializes, its environment has witnessed serious deterioration. Rivers are encroached, forests shrinking, and cities becoming inhabitable.
Restoring the Balance
Forest Restoration: We see forests restored to cover 25 percent of the country’s area.
Thriving Biodiversity: We see a return of rich aquatic and land-based biodiversity.
Healthy Rivers: A healthy river system with restored connections between channels and floodplains.
Open Approach: Abandoning the Cordon Approach to rivers in favor of an Open Approach that respects the terrain.
Sustainable Industry: Industrialization achieved in harmony with the environment, not at its cost.
Life in Balance: Where land, water, and people have struck a right balance for a prosperous existence.
A Cultural Renaissance
BEN wants to see a Bangladesh that would make the poet Jibanananda happy, if he could return to his “Rupashi Bangla”. We envision a land where Rabindranath would again love to travel by boat, and where Nazrul would be inspired to compose songs under a starry night.
That is BEN’s vision of Bangladesh of the future!