DOT Desk: Although February 14 is celebrated as Valentine’s Day, the people of the coastal areas of the Sundarbans celebrate the day as “Sundarbans Day” with a call to come forward to protect the forest and mitigate the impacts of climate change on the Unesco World Heritage Site,reports Dhaka Tribune.
Sundarbans, the land of mangroves and the Royal Bengal Tiger, is facing the impacts of climate change which is affecting nature-dependent livelihoods, health, and nutrition of nearby communities. The day has been celebrated for two decades in the coastal southwestern region including Khulna to raise awareness among people about the need to conserve the Sundarbans.
On February 14, 2001, under the Bangladesh Poribesh Andolan, Khulna University and 70 other environmental organizations of the country declared February 14 as “Sundarbans Day” and celebrate it every year. Professor Rafiqul Islam, a resident of Paikgachha upazila adjacent to the Sundarbans, said: “The Sundarbans is vital for our survival. The Sundarbans is the lungs of South Asia.