Natural History of Bangladesh:

The history of Bangladesh as a nation state began in 1971, when it seceded from Pakistan. Total area of
land of Bangladesh is some 147570 sq kilometers in size. Bangladesh has a sub-tropical monsoon climate
with six seasons in a year. For a country this size, Bangladesh has been endowed with an extraordinary
amount of natural wealth and abundance. While its floods do cause serious calamities to its people, the
waters are also the source of rich Himalayan mineral deposits and without the yearly flooding; soil that
already bears a heavy agricultural load would never replenish itself. Bangladesh is amazingly green. Most
of its public forestlands are located in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, greater Khulna district, greater Sylhet
district, Dhaka, Mymensingh and Tangail districts.

Wildlife Diversity:
The wildlife of Bangladesh includes Bangladesh's flora and fauna. Bangladesh is home to roughly 53
species of amphibian, 19 species of marine reptiles, 139 species of reptile, 380 species of birds, 116
species of mammals and 5 species of marine mammals. In addition to the large bird count, a further 310
species of migratory birds swell bird numbers each year. It has the Bengal tiger, Asian elephant, Hoolock
gibbon, Asian black bear and other flagship species. The dhole, also called the Asiatic wild dog, is now
endangered by habitat and prey-species loss and human persecution. Notable animal species that have
disappeared from Bangladesh are the one-horned Rhinoceros, the two-horned Rhinoceros, the Gaur, the
Banteng, Swamp deer, Nilgai, Indian Wolf, wild Water Buffalo, marsh crocodile and common Peafowl.

Location of the Forest:

The three main types of public forests are:
(i) Tropical evergreen or semi-evergreen forest in the eastern districts of Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Sylhet,
and the Chittagong Hill Tracts region;
The most important commercial timber species of the Chittagong Hill Tracts used to be Jarul, Gamar,
Garjan, Chapalish, Toon, Koroi, Civit, Champa, Simul, Chandul, etc.

(ii) Moist or dry deciduous forests also known as sal (Shorea robusta) forests located mainly in the central
plains and the freshwater areas in the northwest region;
In addition to its commercially valuable sal tree, this forest has other valuable trees such as koroi,
chambal, jogini, chakra, kaikha, amlaki, ajuli and gadila.

(iii) Tidal mangrove forests along the coast - the Sundarbans in the southwest of the Khulna and other
mangrove patches in the Chittagong, Cox's Bazar and Noakhali coastal belt, the home of the Bengal
Tigers. There are of 30 principal kinds of timber found in the Sundarbans including the Sundari. Some of
them are Bain, Amur, Bali, Bhara, Bonjam, Garan, Kankra, Pasur Gewa, and Sondal. The major tree of
Sundarban is Golpata. More than 120 fish species are harvested in the mangrove area.

Influence of Eco-System:
An ecosystem is a community of living organisms (plants, animals and microbes) in conjunction with the
nonliving components of their environment (things like air, water and mineral soil), interacting as a
system. Energy, water, nitrogen and soil minerals are other essential abiotic components of an ecosystem.
The energy that flows through ecosystems is obtained primarily from the sun. It generally enters the
system through photosynthesis, a process that also captures carbon from the atmosphere. By feeding on
plants and on one another, animals play an important role in the movement of matter and energy through
the system. They also influence the quantity of plant and microbial biomass present. By breaking down
dead organic matter, decomposers release carbon back to the atmosphere and facilitate nutrient cycling by
converting nutrients stored in dead biomass back to a form that can be readily used by plants and other
microbes.

Impact on Socio Economic:

Climate change is an emerging problem that is projected to severely impact Bangladesh. Although, forest
plays an important role in the economy of Bangladesh. The forest provides raw materials for wood based
industries. In addition to traditional forest produce like timber, fuel wood, pulpwood etc., large scale
harvest of non-wood forest products such as thatching materials, honey, bees-wax, fish, crustacean and
mollusc resources of the forest takes place regularly. The forest also traps nutrient and sediment, acts as a
storm barrier, shore stabiliser and energy storage unit.

Endangered of Wild Life:

The threats of climate change induced hazards such as floods, cyclones, droughts and extremities in
climatic variables are discussed in order to illustrate how biodiversity could be threatened as an impact of
global warming. The endangered species that live within the Sundarbans and extinct species that used to
be include the Royal Bengal tigers, estuarine crocodile, northern river terrapins, Olive Ridley turtles,
Gangetic dolphin, ground turtles, Hawks Bill Turtles and King Crabs. Some species such as hog deer,
water buffalos, Barasingha or swamp deer, Javan rhinoceros, single horned and the mugger crocodiles or
marsh crocodiles started to become extinct in the Sundarbans towards the middle of the 20th century, due
to extensive poaching and man hunting by the British. There are several other threatened mammal
species, such as the capped langurs , smooth-coated otter, Oriental small-clawed otters, and great Bengal
Civets.
Necessary Steps:
Forests are home to approximately two-thirds of the world's plants and animals. As trees are cleared and
forests degraded, the unique flora and fauna that depend on these ecosystems come under threat of
extinction. To protect endangered species and prevent those not currently threatened from joining their
ranks, its vital make awareness among the people, plant a lots of trees and save the forestlands. It's also
important to take a stand against deforestation.