Rajshahi: Birds say, 'Trees are my safe shelter.' Earthworms say, 'We keep the soil around trees fertile and sustain life.' The soil says, 'Fallen leaves from trees make me fertile and give birth to new life.' Marking International Day for Biological Diversity 2026, the Tanore Upazila Peoples' Organization Coordination Committee, Green Coalition, and Bangladesh Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge (BARCIK) organized the 'Agro-biodiversity Festival' today under a 350-year-old tamarind tree in Mohor village in Tanore Upazila of the district. The theme was 'One Tree, One Ecosystem.'
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the main objective of the event was to inspire people to rethink the interconnections in nature and highlight the importance of conserving native biodiversity and agro-ecology. Billions of microorganisms live beneath the roots of a single tree, while its branches shelter birds, squirrels, bees, and various beneficial insects. A tree is not just a tree - it is life, it is agriculture, it is the Earth. An ecosystem grows around an old tree.
The festival showcased 140 varieties of rice, vegetable, and wheat seeds; components of aquatic ecosystems like water lily, water chestnut, lotus, snails, oysters; indigenous eco-friendly fishing tools; 45 species of uncultivated leafy greens; water from various rivers of the Barind region; soil diversity of the Barind region; and eco-friendly stoves. Through these exhibits, the relationships among all environmental elements were demonstrated. Participating farmers also exchanged seeds with one another.
Conducted by BARCIK Program Officer Amrita Sarkar, the event featured Atiqur Rahman Atik, President of the Barind Youth Forum, who presented the concept paper of the festival and the significance of International Day for Biological Diversity. He emphasized that biodiversity is the foundation of food, water, health, agriculture, economy, and culture, and underscored the responsibility of respecting, protecting, and restoring biological resources.
Farmers, teachers, students, and members of youth organizations from 10 villages of Tanore Upazila participated in the event. Speakers discussed initiatives taken to conserve biodiversity. Md. Zaidur Rahman, a farmer from Duboil village, shared his efforts in preserving native rice diversity by cultivating 170 varieties of rice annually. Setara Begum from Jagadishpur village highlighted her chemical-free farming practices and seed preservation efforts. Monica Tudu, an indigenous farmer from Mondumala village, lamented the disappearance of aquatic animals and emphasized the need for their conservation.
Nur Mohammad, a self-taught agricultural scientist from Gollapara village, stressed the importance of conserving biodiversity for future generations and cautioned against the indiscriminate use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, highlighting their detrimental impact on aquatic life near Bill Kumari, a biodiversity reservoir in Tanore Upazila.