Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md. Shahab Uddin said Bangladesh National Herbarium, an organisation of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, is conducting a plant species survey in order to conserve country's biodiversity as well as forest and environment protection. The results obtained from the plant survey conducted through the current project under implementation will play an important role in the country's botanical education and research, sustainable management and use of plant diversity, identification of endangered plant species and their protection, and formulation of national biodiversity conservation strategies and action plans and in achieving SDG goals. Also all this information may be used in Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); and Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The minister of environment, forest and climate change said these in the speech of the chief guest joining virtually from his official residence in the inaugural workshop of the plant species survey project of Barisal and Sylhet division held at Bangladesh National Herbarium, Mirpur, Dhaka on Thursday morning.
Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Dr. Farhina Ahmed presided over the workshop. Ministry's Additional Secretary (Development) Md. Mizanul Hoque Chowdhury, Additional Secretary and Director (Additional Charge) of National Herbarium Sanjay Kumar Bhowmik, Chief Conservator of Forests of Forest Department Md. Amir Hossain Chowdhury and project director of SVFBS project Dr. Sardar Nasir Uddin were present in the workshop. Professors from various universities of the country, researchers from research institutes, officials of various departments/organizations of the Ministry were present in the event.
The Minister remembered with deep respect Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for establishing the Bangladesh National Herbarium, a national institution that researches plant species. The minister said that for the conservation and sustainable management of plant species in all the ecosystems of the country, it is necessary to know the correct statistics of the country's plant species and only through a complete plant survey it is possible to know the updated statistics, location and conservation status of the country's plant resources. He said, Barisal is an ever-changing and ever-decreasing division in terms of plant diversity.
The number of plant species in this category is estimated to be more than 1000. On the other hand Sylhet Division has a favorable environment for the creation of abundance of plant diversity. The number of plant species of Sylhet division is known to be more than 1500. However, no comprehensive survey of flora diversity of Sylhet division has been completed yet. Therefore, in this project, for determining the actual status of the plant resources of Barisal and Sylhet divisions, documenting diversity, conservation and balanced use, through scientific survey at the field level, about 70 thousand plant samples will be collected and 2 books containing information will be published and all information will be prepared and published on the website as an e-database.
The minister said that previously BNH has completed a thorough survey of the vascular plant species of Greater Chittagong and the Chittagong Hill Tracts, writing floristic documents and preserving specimens through the implementation of a project titled 'Survey of Vascular Flora of Chittagong and the Chittagong Hill Tracts'. In addition, through the Sustainable Forestry and Livelihood (SUFAL) project, Bangladesh is implementing the red list of plant species and the development of a strategy paper for the control of invasive alien plants in five selected protected areas, which will address the paucity of information on the country's flora and serve as a milestone in the conservation of flora and biodiversity.