Red List of Bangladesh Volume 1: Summary Chief National Technical Expert Mohammad Ali Reza Khan Technical Coordinator Mohammad Shahad Mahabub Chowdhury IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature Bangladesh Country Office 2015 i The designation of geographical entitles in this book and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature concerning the legal status of any country, territory, administration, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The biodiversity database and views expressed in this publication are not necessarily reflect those of IUCN, Bangladesh Forest Department and The World Bank. This publication has been made possible because of the funding received from The World Bank through Bangladesh Forest Department to implement the subproject entitled ‘Updating Species Red List of Bangladesh’ under the ‘Strengthening Regional Cooperation for Wildlife Protection (SRCWP)’ Project. Published by: IUCN Bangladesh Country Office Copyright: © 2015 Bangladesh Forest Department and IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holders, provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holders. Citation: Of this volume IUCN Bangladesh. 2015. Red List of Bangladesh Volume 1: Summary. IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Bangladesh Country Office, Dhaka, Bangladesh, pp. xvi+122. ISBN: 978-984-34-0733-7 Publication Assistant: Sheikh Asaduzzaman Design and Printed by: Progressive Printers Pvt. Ltd. Cover Photo: Front Cover: (top left) Panthera tigris © M A R Khan, (top right) Ceyx erithaca © Tania Khan, (bottom right) Hoplobatrachus tigerinus © Tania Khan, (Centre) Calotes emma © Faysal Ahmad (bottom left) Rhacophorus bipunctata © Tania Khan Back Cover: (top) Trichogaster lalius © Md. Mizanur Rahman, (bottom) Portunus sanguinolentus © Mostafa A R Hossain Available from: IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature Bangladesh Country Office House 16, Road 2/3, Banani Dhaka 1213, Bangladesh www.iucn.org/bangladesh www.iucnredlistbd.org ii Red List Project Team Chief National Technical Expert Mohammad Ali Reza Khan Project Manager Mohammad Shahad Mahabub Chowdhury Lead Assessors Mohammed Mostafa Feeroz (Mammals) Enam Ul Haque (Birds) Md. Farid Ahsan (Reptiles) M. Monirul H. Khan (Amphibians) Mohammad Shahadat Ali (Freshwater Fishes) Mostafa Ali Reza Hossain (Crustaceans) Md. Monwar Hossain (Butterflies) Project Assistants Selina Sultana Sanjoy Roy Mohammed Noman Md. Ahsanul Islam Farzana Islam Tanvir Ahmed Shovon Md. Sakhawat Hossain Interns Mehnus Tabassum Wali-Uz Zaman Afshana Parven Red List Trainers Monika Böhm Caroline Pollock Catherine Anne Sayer Janet Scott Mohammad Shahad Mahabub Chowdhury Institutional Advisors Ishtiaq Uddin Ahmad Haseeb Md. Irfanullah iii Volumes of Red List of Bangladesh Volume 1: Summary (English) Volume 1: Summary (Bangla) Volume 2: Mammals Volume 3: Birds Volume 4: Reptiles and Amphibians Volume 5: Freshwater Fishes Volume 6: Crustaceans Volume 7: Butterflies iv PREFACE The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ has been assessing the conservation status of plants, fungi and animal species on a global scale for the past 50 years. Since its conception in 1964, the Red List has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the extinction risk of species. Far more than a list of species and their status, it is a powerful tool to inform and catalyze action among scientists, activists, and politicians. It is used by government agencies, wildlife departments, conservation related non-governmental organizations (NGOs), natural resource planners, educational organizations, students, and the business community. The Red List process has become a massive enterprise involving the IUCN Global Species Program staff, partner organizations and experts in the IUCN Species Survival Commission and partner networks who compile the species information to make The IUCN Red List the indispensable product it is today. IUCN Bangladesh had published the first Red List of Threatened Animals of Bangladesh in 2000. The list has been updated through a sub-project entitled ‘Updating Species Red List of Bangladesh’ under the ‘Strengthening Regional Cooperation for Wildlife Protection (SRCWP)’ Project of the Bangladesh Forest Department which is funded by The World Bank. The project commenced in December 2013 and ends in June 2016. A total of 1619 species have been assessed and updated from seven different animal groups (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, freshwater fishes, crustaceans, and butterflies), subsequently published in seven volumes. In addition, summary volume (Vol: 01) has been translated into Bangla for reaching out its wider users. More than 300 national and international experts have contributed under the seven Red List Assessor Groups (RAGs) headed by respective Lead Assessors and Chief National Technical Expert to ensure that the updates are based on the best scientific information available. A welltrained Red List project unit equipped with GIS support and all kinds of latest information technologies was established in IUCN Bangladesh to ensure the highest quality of assessment following the latest Red List categories and criteria guideline. For this purpose, more than 160 assessors have been trained on global standard Red List assessment guideline engaging international certified Red List trainers. A National Red List Database in the form of an online platform has been developed and made live for public dissemination on the <www. iucnredlistbd.org>. Data and information have been preserved for future use both electronically in offline database as well as hard copies for each individual species bearing unique Species Identification Number (SID). A National Red List Committee has been formed under the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to ensure coordination among different agencies during the assessment process as well as for mainstreaming the findings into conservation policies. Series of dissemination workshops at national and regional levels were organized to share the preliminary assessment result to its wider stakeholders and ensure their participation in this highly scientific assessment process. v I would like to commend the assessors for their contributions to the assessment and for their commitment towards making this publication a reality. All the assessments have gone through a multi stage review process engaging relevant experts and technical reviewers. The tireless efforts of the reviewers in making these books up to the global standard are gratefully acknowledged. Without their assistance this nationally important set of documents would not have been of the quality that it is now. I also like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation to all the members of ‘Updating Species Red List of Bangladesh’ project and all concerned people of publication work for publishing this manuscript. I would also express my gratitude to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) and other Bangladesh Forest Department officials for their vigorous support and collaboration. I hope this publication will help the relevant agencies in taking appropriate conservation actions toward managing wildlife of Bangladesh. Md. Akbar Hossain Project Director Strengthening Regional Cooperation for Wildlife Protection (SRCWP) Project & Deputy Chief Conservator of Forests Bangladesh Forest Department vi MESSAGE The Government of Bangladesh is committed to take all measures prerequisite for a sustainable future. In effort, the Government takes myriad programmes and initiatives with the support of different consortia. Bangladesh has recently achieved unprecedented successes in the environmental sector. It was no surprise that Her Excellency Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was awarded ‘2015 Champion of the Earth’ by the United Nations. Updated the ‘Red List of Bangladesh’ bears yet another signature of the goodwill and devotion rendered by the Government of Bangladesh. The publication sets another milestone in biodiversity conservation of the country. The overwhelming evidence on the loss of biodiversity all over the world showcases that we, as a nation, must act to conserve biodiversity. Ministry of Environment and Forests has been playing a pivotal role in biodiversity conservation of Bangladesh through Bangladesh Forest Department, and other national and international organizations. This publication is one among many upshots envisioned by Bangladesh Forest Department through the ‘Strengthening Regional Cooperation for Wildlife Protection (SRCWP)’ Project. I would like to thank The World Bank for providing the financial support, and appreciate the effort of IUCN Bangladesh Country Office in implementing the project. I am sanguine that the updated ‘Red List of Bangladesh’ will concurrently help the Government of Bangladesh towards achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Vision 2021. Finally, I wish that the ‘Red List of Bangladesh’ would go a long way in protecting the biodiversity of the country. Anwar Hossain Manju, MP Minister Ministry