Safeguarding Bangladesh’s Green Heritage: A comprehensive botanical initiative

Bangladesh boasts an extraordinary wealth of plant diversity; a natural endowment shaped by its unique geographical position, fertile soils, abundant water resources, favorable climate, and varied landscapes. This conducive environment supports a flourishing array of flora, estimated by taxonomic references to include around 5,300 vascular plant species, comprising approximately 5,000 flowering and 300 non-flowering plants.

Plants are fundamental to life, fulfilling our most basic needs such as sustenance, clothing, shelter, medicine, and even educational resources. Beyond human utility, they are indispensable for maintaining ecological balance by producing oxygen, absorbing carbon dioxide, regulating the water cycle, and providing habitat for wildlife. Furthermore, a robust plant cover offers crucial protection against natural disasters like storms, floods, droughts, heat waves, landslides, and river erosion. Indeed, the very existence of the animal kingdom is inextricably linked to the presence of plants.

Mr. Md. Zahirul Islam holds a significant position as the Joint Secretary (Administration), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and carries the crucial additional responsibility of Director at the Bangladesh National Herbarium. This dual role places him at the heart of both the administrative functions and the scientific endeavors of this vital institution. His leadership is instrumental in ensuring the efficient operation of the herbarium while simultaneously guiding its mission to document, preserve, and research the diverse plant life of Bangladesh. Mr. Islam’s dedication bridges the gap between governance and scientific exploration, allowing him to contribute uniquely to the safeguarding of the nation’s botanical heritage for present and future generations.

Threats to Plant Diversity:

Despite its richness, Bangladesh’s plant diversity faces severe threats. Factors such as rapid population growth, unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, widespread deforestation, habitat alteration, environmental pollution, the proliferation of invasive alien species, indiscriminate wildlife killing, and climate change are exerting immense pressure on the country’s botanical wealth.

The Imperative for Updated Botanical Information:

Accurate and current information on Bangladesh’s plant diversity is crucial for advancing plant science, establishing intellectual property rights related to plant genetic resources, conserving species, facilitating sustainable development, and informing policy-making. Historically, researchers have relied on outdated references like J.D. Hooker’s (1872-1897) “Flora of British India” and David Prain’s (1903) “Bengal Plants,” both more than a century old. While the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh’s “Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh” provided a valuable compilation, it did not fully capture the current state of the nation’s plant diversity.

Recognizing this critical information gap, the Bangladesh National Herbarium (BNH) recently published “Vascular Flora of Chittagong and the Chittagong Hill Tracts.” This pivotal book, grounded in primary data from extensive botanical surveys in those regions, has provided a more precise understanding of local plant diversity. The information from this publication is now actively supporting botanical research, assessing genetic resources, guiding sustainable management practices, identifying and protecting threatened plants, and informing national strategies for biodiversity conservation.

The Survey of Vascular Flora of Barisal and Sylhet Divisions (SVFBS) Project:

Building on the success of the Chittagong initiative and acknowledging the ongoing need for updated floristic data across the country, the Survey of Vascular Flora of Barishal and Sylhet Divisions (SVFBS) project was launched.

Project Overview: SVFBS

Under the leadership of the Bangladesh National Herbarium (BNH) and with the cooperation of the pertinent ministry, this significant botanical project has been systematically executed. Dr. Nasir Uddin, Chief Scientific Officer at BNH, has served as both the project director and its principal proponent.

Project Area:

The project encompasses the divisions of Barisal (including the districts of Jhalakathi, Patuakhali, Pirojpur, Barguna, Barisal, and Bhola) and Sylhet (including Moulvibazar, Sylhet, Sunamganj, and Habiganj).

Project Objectives:

The overarching goal of the SVFBS project is the collection and preservation of specimens with updated information through extensive botanical surveys, culminating in the publication of pictorial books on the vascular plant species of Barisal and Sylhet divisions.

Specific objectives include:

• Enrichment of BNH Collections: Augmenting the Bangladesh National Herbarium’s collections by gathering and preserving approximately 75,000 voucher plant samples, complete with associated information and photographs, through comprehensive plant surveys in the designated project areas.
• Identification of Threatened Species: Pinpointing all threatened vascular plant species within the project areas to facilitate future conservation efforts and sustainable biodiversity management.
• Establishment of Floristic Information Repository: Creating a foundational repository of floristic information for all vascular plant species found in the project areas and ensuring its proper management and dissemination among stakeholders.
• Publication of Pictorial Books: Authoring and publishing two visually rich books detailing the plant species identified within the project areas, making this information accessible via a dedicated website.

Major Project Activities:

Key activities undertaken to achieve these objectives include:

• Specimen Collection and Preparation: Successfully collecting 75,000 vascular plant specimens with accompanying information and photographs from all project areas, and preparing corresponding herbarium sheets.
• Knowledge Dissemination: Organizing three seminars and one training workshop to share insights and build capacity related to the project’s findings.
• Taxonomic Identification: Identifying and classifying 71,033 vascular plant specimens collected during the survey.
• Herbarium Preservation: Preserving all voucher herbarium sheets and their associated data within the herbarium.
• Endangered Species Identification: Specifically identifying endangered vascular plant species for targeted conservation efforts.
• Digital Database Creation: Developing an e-database and ensuring its publication on the project’s website.
• Dissemination through Publications: Communicating survey results through the writing and publication of comprehensive books.

Project Component Implementation and Progress:

The project’s execution has involved significant collaboration:

• Initial Collection Phase: The systematic collection of vascular plant specimens and the production of the 75,000 herbarium sheets across the Barisal and Sylhet divisions was administered by The Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS). This phase was guided by Dr. Saleh Ahammad Khan and involved a large contingent of botany professionals and CEGIS staff.
• Taxonomic Identification Process: The subsequent taxonomic identification of the collected specimens was managed by Eco, under the expert direction of Dr. Bokhtear Uddin and Dr. Mohammad Omar Faruq.
• Book Compilation: The taxonomic descriptions for the forthcoming books were meticulously prepared by a team of distinguished botanists: Professor Dr. Mostafa Kamal Pasha, Dr. Momtaz Begum, Dr. Kamrul Haque, and Dr. Maksuda.

Financial and Physical Progress:

As of May 2025, the project has demonstrated remarkable progress:

• Plant survey activities are 100% complete, with 75,000 specimens collected and preserved, meeting the set target.
• 71,033 plant specimens have been identified, also achieving 100% of the target.
• The manuscript for the book to be published under the project has been successfully completed.
• Web-based software for the e-database has been prepared.
• All four planned seminars/workshops have been successfully organized.
• The cumulative financial progress of the project stands at 1459.26 lakh Taka (91.2%).

Results of the objective operated under the project:

Table-1: Synopsis of the enumeration of vascular flora of Sylhet Division

Table-2: Synopsis of the enumeration of vascular flora of Barishal Division

Table-3: Comparative life forms of the vascular flora

Table-4: Twenty dominant families of vascular Flora

Table-5: Twenty dominant genera of vascular Flora

Table-6: Statistics of Red List category