The forest department of Bangladesh has identified 271 plant species as minimally threatened, 256 species lacking sufficient data, and 395 species vulnerable from a Red List of 1,000 plant species of the country.
Among the vulnerable plants, 127 are endangered, 5 are critically endangered, 263 are near threatened, 70 species are threatened, while 7 have been identified as regionally extinct.
Environment and forest advisor Syeda Rizwana Hasan unveiled the 鈥楻ed List of Plants of Bangladesh鈥� reports in the secretariat on Monday.
She also said that the initiative of listing plants would support prioritising plant conservation and contribute to the government鈥檚 biodiversity conservation goals.
The Red List of Plants would provide conservationists with essential data to guide conservation efforts and allocate resources effectively as well, she said.
鈥楾he Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh have documented 3,813 plant species, which require evaluation for future conservation efforts,鈥� she said.
This list will serve as a valuable resource for policymakers and researchers, aiding in achieving environmental stability and promoting biodiversity conservation at national and international levels.
The research has identified 17 invasive plant species in Bangladesh, such as water hyacinth and Assam liana, which pose environmental threats.
Additional secretaries of the ministry ASM Humayun Kabir, Fahmida Khanam, Tapan Kumar Biswas and chief conservator of forests Md Amir Hossain Chowdhury, World Bank and IUCN representatives were present at the event.
