by

ISHTIAQ UDDIN AHMAD

COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVE

IUCN COUNTRY OFFICE

BANGLADESH

BIODIVERSITY: BANGLADESH PERSPECTIVE

PhytogeographicallyBangladesh falls under Indian, Indo-Chinese and Eastern Asiatic regions---

Zoogeographically Bangladesh lies in the interface of India, Himalayan and South-East Asian faunas---

Flora shows at the admixture of different elements and faunal composition with rich biodiversity

BIODIVERSITY OF BANGLADESH

BIO-ECOLOGICAL ZONES OF BANGLADESH

A) Ecosystem Diversity1. Forest Ecosystem2. Wetlands

Ecosystem3. Coastal & Marine

Ecosystem4. Homestead

Ecosystem5. Agro Ecosystem

B) Species DiversityC) Genetic Diversity

Status of Biodiversity in Bangladesh

Hill Forests represents Tropical Wet Evergreen Forest and Tropical Semi-Evergreen Forests Dominant Species:

Dipterocarp

1.1 Hill Forests

Sal (Shorea robusta) Forests cover Central & Northern part of the country

It is classified as Tropical Moist Deciduous Forest

1.2 Sal Forests

Flora -334 species Fauna -269 species Sundri (Heritiera

fomes), the most common species occupies 73% of Sundarban. Flagship Species:

Royal Bengal Tiger

1.3 Natural Mangroves: Sundarbans

Types of wetlands Area in Hectares

Open water wetlands

Rivers 749,700

Estuarine and mangrove forest 610,200

Beels and haors 114,200

Inundable floodplains 548,6600

Kaptai lake 68,800

Closed water wetlands

Ponds 146,900

Baors (oxbow lake) 5,500

Brackish water farms 108,000

TOTAL 7289,900(Source:Akonda 1989 and Khan 1994, Asian Wetland Bureau)

2.0 Wetlands Ecosystem

aquatic macrophytes more than 200 species

approximately 150 species of birds fully or partially wetland dependent

mammal, reptile and amphibian species, more than 80 species in 37 families are thought to have been existed

251 species of freshwater fishes and many more estuarine fish species also inhabit these wetland habitats

2.1 Species richness in the wetlands

The Bay occupies an area of about 2.2 million sq. km

475 species of fishes belonging to 133 families from the marine and estuarine waters of Bangladesh.

169 species of fishes from marine and brackish-waters, of which, 148 species belonging to 59 families are bony fishes and 21 species belonging to 10 families are cartilaginous

Rare dolphins off the coast of Sundarbans

3. Biodiversity in Coastal Zone

• In Bangladesh, about 20% of the total land is covered with settlement, much of which is covered with trees. According to National Forest and Tree Resources Assessment 2005-07, the area of rural settlement with tree cover stands at 2.767 million hectares of which about 45% of lands have over 10% tree cover.

4. Homestead ecosystem

o Bangladesh: 30 agro-ecological zones and 88 subzones on the basis of physiography, soil properties, soil salinity, depth and duration of flooding

o People over the centuries have been cultivating, preserving, and using more than 1364 plant species

o Presence of more than 10,000 rice varieties in the country is a clear example of our vast wealth of genetic resources

5. Agro-ecosystem

Bangladesh possesses rich species diversity particularly for angiosperm and avifauna.

Out of total 3,611 species of angiosperm, about 3,611 species under 158 families belong to dicotyledons and about 988 species under 41 families to monocotyledons, while the number of reported bird species is 690 for the country.

b) Species Diversity

Germplasm collections of some important crops:Stakeholders Crop group No. of accessions collected

BARI Cereals other than rice 1,577

Pulses 3,333

Oilseeds 781

Vegetables 3,516

Spices 156

Fruits 89

Fruits and Vegetables 197

BRRI Rice (Cultivated and Wild) 6,259

BSRI Sugarcane (Wild and Cultivated) 1,362

CDB Cotton 490

BJRI Jute (Cultivated and Wild) 5,593

BTRI Tea (Cultivated and Wild) 475

BSMRAU Various Crops 764

East West Seed Ltd. Vegetables 6,443

Total 31,035

c) Genetic Diversity

Change of landuse (High population growth and natural resource consumption)

Fragmentation and loss of habitat

Change in hydrological regime

Pollution

Uncontrolled tourism

Unsustainable agricultural practices

Monoculture Plantation

Invasive alien species

Climate change

Threats to Biodiversity in Bangladesh

Sl No. Name Scientific name

1. One-horned Rhinoceros Rhinoceros unicornis

2. Javan Rhinoceros Rhinoceros sondaicus

3. Asiatic Two-horned

Rhinoceros

Didermoceros sumatrensis

4. Gaur Bos gaurus

5. Banteng Bos banteng

6. Wild Buffalo Bubalus bubalis

7. Nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus

8. Swamp Deer Cervus duvauceli

9. Wolf Canis lupus

10. Pink-headed Duck Rhodonessa caryophyllacea

11. Common Peafowl Pavo cristatus

12. Marsh Crocodile Crocodylus palustris

List of extinct vertebrates from Bangladesh

Fauna Recorded sp. Flora Recorded sp.

Mammals 125 Angiosperms 3,611

Birds 690(380

Resident, 209

winter visitor,11

summer visitor &

90 vagrants)

Gymnosperms 7

Reptiles 154 Pteridophytes 195

Amphibians 36 Bryophytes 248

Fish 653 (251

freshwater 402

estuarine &

marine)

Algae 1988

Invertebrates 2,672 Cyanobacteria 300

Floral & Faunal Biodiversity in Bangladesh

Floral & Faunal Biodiversity in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a home of: 1952 species of invertibrates including 300 species of Protozoa to Gastrotricha300 platyhelminthes, Nematodes and Acanthocephala479 molluscs185 Crustaceans667 insects

Bangladesh has prepared National Conservation Strategy (NCS) and the National Environment Management Action Plan (NEMAP)

Bangladesh National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan prepared

GEF project taken to establish a Clearing House Mechanism (CHM) of Biodiversity Data

Strategies, Plans and Program

IUCN Bangladesh Country Office has prepared Red Data Book of animals

Faunal survey has been completed in five ecologically critical areas –namely St. Martins Island, HimchariCoastal Belt, Tanguar Haor, BarindTract and Chalan Beel.

Identification and Monitoring

As a means to conserve biodiversity “In Situ”: A. 18 wildlife sanctuaries and 5 national parks;

and seven ECAs under the Bangladesh Environment Act, 1995are established.

B. Fish sanctuary is established under the Bangladesh Fish Act, 1950 for seasonal protection of fishes, and their habitats.

Govt. has approved a proposal to continue the moratorium on logging of trees in the natural forests of the country.

In situ Conservation

• An important gene bank has been established for conservation of rice genetic resources located in the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute. But There is no gene bank facilities for conservation of animal genetic resources in Bangladesh.

Ex situ Conservation

• …and most importantly: diverse

Rich

Thriving

Abundant

We want biodiversity to be…..

Thank you