About 62 trees’ species are on the verge of extinction in Bangladesh- Global Report
Trees are vital. As the giant plants on the planet, they give us oxygen, store carbon, stabilize the soil and give lives to the world’s wildlife. They also provide us with the materials for tools and shelter.
Tree felling is one of the ancient practices done by humans. Tree felling takes place for various reasons, including the development of agriculture, livestock and poultry farms, and houses and commercial structures.
Professor Mohammad Jasim Uddin has conducted a survey of Lauyachhara forest in Moulvibazar, Rema Kalenga in Habiganj, Satchhari, Ghazni in Sherpur, Khasiakhali, Teknaf and Inani in Cox’s Bazar, Nijhum Island in Noakhali, Char Kukri-Mukri in Bhola, and Lalmai in Comilla.
He said, “The estimated number of flowering plant species in the country is about 5,000. Which species are in threat of extinction needs to be surveyed or investigated in the field.”
There are 694 species of trees in Bangladesh. Of these, 9 percent or 62 species are under threat of extinction. All this information was revealed by the “State of the world trees” report. Six organizations, including the Alliance of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the UK-based Botanics Garden, jointly published the report.
According to the report, there are 58,497 species in the world. Already 142 species of trees have become extinct. Currently, 17 thousand 510 species of trees are in danger of extinction. The list of endangered species includes 62 species of trees in Bangladesh.
However, Professor Mohammad Jasim Uddin of the Department of Botany, Dhaka University, disagrees with this assessment. He stated, “The estimated number of plant species in Bangladesh is about five thousand. Of these, trees account for more than one thousand. The number of endangered trees is much higher than reported.”
The global report stated that ‘A tree is a woody plant. If it has a stem, its height will be at least two meters. If there is more than one stem, the height of at least one stem will be up to the human chest, and the fence will be five centimeters. ‘
The organizations involved in compiling the report say they have used the networks and individuals of organizations worldwide who work with trees to gather information.
Brazil has the greatest number of tree species, according to figures from 241 countries. According to the research, Brazil has 8,848 different tree species. One thousand seven hundred eighty-eight species are on the verge of extinction.
There are only one tree species; the world has only two such countries. One is Guernsey; the other is Jersey. Both are European countries. St. Helena, on the other hand, has 16 tree species.
Of these, 11 or 69 percent are in danger of extinction. Among the relatively well-known countries, Madagascar has 3,129 tree species. Of these, 59 percent are in danger of extinction.
The report further claimed the threat of extinction of tree species due to Agriculture, deforestation, livestock and poultry farms, housing and commercial infrastructure development, fires, mineral extraction, commercial afforestation, aggressive species afforestation, and climate change.
The report is one of the major initiatives taken by IUCN to finalize the red list of trees by 2023. However, there is no mention of country-wise threatened species in the report.
