Publisher : Global Invasive Species Programme
Place of publication :
Publication year : 2003
Thematic : Invasive Alien Species
Language : English
Note
Bangladesh is located between 20°34' and 26°38' North and 88°01' and 92°42' East, with an area of
147,570 km2
. Geographically, the country is located at the transition of Indo-Gangetic and Indo-Malaya
subregions between the Himalayas and the Bay of Bengal. Bangladesh is characterized by a sub-tropical
monsoonal climate with fairly marked seasonal variations of precipitation and a mild winter from
December to February. The country has 2.53 m hectares of forest land, covering 17.49% of its total
landmass. Aside from ranges of hills along the Burmese and Indian borders (to the southeast and
northeast), the entire country is an enormous deltaic plain flanked by the river Ganges (Padma),
Brahmaputra (Jamuna), and Meghna rivers. These rivers are among the largest in the world, and along
with their floodplains and tributaries that crisscross the country forming a myriad of meandering
channels, lakes, ox-bows and water meadows, they form an intricate network of waterways flowing
into the Bay of Bengal. Additional temporary bodies of water are formed when a large part of the
country becomes submerged for 3-4 months during the monsoon season.
Bangladesh is exceptionally rich in biodiversity. The country has approximately 113 species of
mammals, more than 628 species of birds, 126 species of reptiles, and 22 species of amphibians. In
marine and aquatic systems, there are approximately 442 species of marine fish, 266 species of
freshwater fish, 15 species of crabs, 56 species of shrimp/prawns, 362 species of mollusks, and 66
species of corals. Approximately 5000 species of angiosperms have been identified, of which 300
species are cultivated. Published records document approximately 2493 species of insects, 19 species of
mites, 164 species of algae/seaweed, and 4 species of echinoderms (Alam 1967, Khan 1991, Ahmed
and Ali 1996, Anonymous 2000a, 2000b). Resource managers have identified 224 species of timberyielding
plants (Mia and Haque 1986), while Khan and Mia (1984) report 130 species of indigenous
fibre plants.
Numerous species are known to be threatened by various land uses and other environmental changes.
These include 54 species of inland fish, 8 amphibians, 58 reptiles, 41 resident birds, and 40 mammals.
Among the marine and migratory species of animals in particular, 4 fish, 5 reptiles, 6 birds, 3 mammals,
and 96 seed-bearing plant species are threatened (Anonymous 2000a, 2000b).
As in many other countries of South Asia, hundreds of alien species have entered Bangladesh,
intentionally and unintentionally. The remainder of this paper addresses the status of invasive alien
species (IAS) in Bangladesh and what is being done to address the problem.
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Keywords : Italy
Encoded by : Pauline Carmel Joy Eje
