The Inaugural Workshop was organized at the Bangladesh Forest Department under the project "Developing Bangladesh National Red List of Plants and Developing Management Strategy of Invasive Alien Species (IAS) of Plants in Selected Protected Areas (PAs)". The project was initiated by Bangladesh Forest Department and Bangladesh National Herbarium under the Sustainable Forests & Livelihoods (SUFAL) project, funded by the World Bank. IUCN Bangladesh is providing key technical support to the project, which aims to assess the status of 1,000 plants species and formulate a management strategy for Invasive Alien Species (IAS) of plants in five important Protected Areas of the country.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species^TM is widely recognized as the most comprehensive global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species and their links to livelihoods. First globally initiated in 1964, and in Bangladesh in 2000 where animal species were categorized, it is a scientifically rigorous approach to determine risks of extinction and has become a world standard. Under the project, a detailed Plant Red List Index will be prepared and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) list of plants in Bangladesh will be updated based on the results of the developed Red List. Based on the surveys in five important protected areas of Bangladesh on identifying IAS of Plants, their extent of distribution, pattern of occurrence, and associated impacts on local forest biodiversity, the project will also prepare a set of recommendations to formulate an effective mechanism of preventing, controlling and managing the spread of IAS of Plants.

Mr. Md. Shahab Uddin, MP, Honorable Minister to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), who graced the Inception Workshop as the Chief Guest, highlighted the significance of this Red list and said, "This project has been initiated at a very critical time when Bangladesh is facing several threats of species extinction. It is putting higher risk on the health of forest ecosystem and impacting the future sustainable development. Hence, this project will definitely help us to identify and prioritize the native species and create effective national plans and strategies for the greener future of Bangladesh."

Ms. Habibun Nahar, MP, Deputy Minister to MoEFCC, joined the workshop as Special Guest and opined that “The greater role of this project will largely help in the forest protection and aiding the forest-dependent communities”. She said that a collaborative approach is needed to prepare this Red List and conduct extensive awareness raising for the concerned stakeholders. Mr. Ziaul Hasan ndc, Secretary to MoEFCC highlighted that around 390 species are at the risk of extinction and 31 species have already become extinct. Hence, the necessity of developing this Red List is absolutely important for Bangladesh. Mr. A. Shamim Al Razi, Additional Secretary of MoEFCC emphasized that Red listing of plants and identification of IAS of plants will greatly help Bangladesh to reach the ambitious goals of Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and SDG targets 15.4, 15.5, and 15.6 at global level.   

Chair of the Workshop and Chief Conservator of Forests of the Bangladesh Forest Department, Mr. Md. Amir Hosain Chowdhury, said that Bangladesh has been working on various forest restoration activities for a long time but adequate focus has been given on species identification and conservation. He highlighted that this first ever plant Red Listing in Bangladesh will contribute to the future national policies of biodiversity conservation in Bangladesh, such as, 8th Five Year Plan formulation and updating the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP).  

Later, two technical sessions were conducted with the Red List and IAS experts and potential assessors. In the Red List session, among various other recommendations, it has been highlighted that 1000 plant species should be rigorously assessed by the expert team and aligned with the national forest database. In the IAS session, participants highlighted the need to finalize the IAS's definition, appropriate methodology for the protected areas, and the higher demand to integrate communities in this process.

This web story is written by Farah Anzum, Programme Assistant, IUCN Bangladesh and Sakib Ahmed, Programme Assistant, IUCN Bangladesh