A New Patch of Urban Forest Takes Root in Dhaka
Dhaka, one of the most densely populated cities on earth, has a new Miyawaki forest. Shakti Foundation and Mutual Trust Bank (MTB) jointly inaugurated the city’s second such forest, adding a compact but meaningful stretch of native woodland to an urban landscape that has long struggled with tree cover, air quality, and heat.
The Miyawaki method, developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, involves planting native species in tight clusters at far higher densities than conventional tree-planting. The result is a self-sustaining mini-forest that grows roughly ten times faster than a standard plantation, develops multiple canopy layers, and supports biodiversity in a fraction of the space a traditional park would require. For a city like Dhaka, where open land is scarce and temperatures have been climbing steadily, the method is particularly well suited.
Why Miyawaki Forests Matter for Dhaka
Dhaka’s green cover has been under pressure for decades. Rapid urbanisation, construction, and population growth have eaten into the city’s trees and wetlands. Urban heat island effects are measurable and worsening, and air pollution consistently ranks among the worst in South Asia. Against that backdrop, even a small Miyawaki forest carries outsized value: the dense multi-species planting absorbs carbon, filters particulate matter, reduces localised temperatures, and provides habitat for birds and insects that have been squeezed out of the city.
The first Miyawaki forest in Dhaka demonstrated that the concept works in Bangladesh’s climate and soil conditions. The inauguration of a second one signals that the model is being replicated, which is exactly how urban greening movements gain traction. Each new forest builds the case for the next.
Shakti Foundation and MTB: Private Sector Leading on Environment
The collaboration between Shakti Foundation, a Bangladeshi microfinance and development organisation, and Mutual Trust Bank reflects a broader shift in how Bangladeshi institutions are approaching environmental responsibility. Rather than token gestures, this is a tangible, science-backed intervention with a measurable footprint.
Corporate and civil society partnerships of this kind are increasingly important in Bangladesh’s environmental story. The country faces some of the most acute climate risks in the world, from cyclones and storm surges in the south to riverbank erosion and flooding across the delta. Urban greening alone cannot solve those challenges, but it is a concrete, replicable action that cities can take now, and Dhaka’s second Miyawaki forest is evidence that Bangladeshi organisations are willing to take it.
A Model Worth Scaling
Miyawaki forests have been planted in cities across India, Malaysia, the Netherlands, and France, often by community groups or corporate sponsors working with local governments. In Bangladesh, the concept is still relatively new, but the momentum is building. With two forests now established in Dhaka, advocates have a stronger argument for integrating the method into city planning, school grounds, factory premises, and riverbank restoration projects.
For a country that contributes minimally to global carbon emissions yet faces disproportionate climate consequences, every initiative that adds green infrastructure to its cities carries both practical and symbolic weight. Dhaka’s second Miyawaki forest is a small patch of trees, but it represents something larger: a city and its institutions choosing to invest in a greener future, one native sapling at a time.