Bangladesh National Herbarium (BNH), an organisation under Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry, is conducting a plant species survey in order to conserve the country's biodiversity and to protect forest and environment.

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin said this at a workshop on plant species survey project of Barishal and Sylhet division held at Bangladesh National Herbarium in the city on Thursday.

It is necessary to know the statistics of the country's plant species for the conservation and sustainable management of plant species in all the ecosystems of the country, he said.

He said it is possible to know the updated statistics, location and conservation status of the country's plant resources only through a complete plant survey. 

“The results obtained from the plant survey 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,” said the minister.

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“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,” Shahab Uddin added.

In this project, about 70,000 plant samples will be collected and two books containing information will be published and all information will be prepared and published on the website as an e-database for determining the actual status of the plant resources of Barishal and Sylhet divisions, documenting diversity, conservation and balanced use, through scientific survey at the field level.

Regarding the plant diversity, he said Barishal is an ever-changing in terms of plant diversity. The number of plant species in this category is estimated to be more than 1000, he said.

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,” he said.

Earlier, 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'.