Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh

The Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh is the outcome of a long-felt need. Information on biodiversity has been recorded in this part of the subcontinent for centuries, but it occurs in diverse places and forms that are often difficult to retrieve. The need for a compilation of the available information under one cover has been felt particularly strongly after the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity at the Earth Summit in 1992 to which Bangladesh is a signatory.

The Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh has two major sections: Flora and Fauna. Altogether there are 11 volumes in the flora section. presenting about 6,500 species, and 14 volumes in the fauna section with close to 7,000 species. In addition, there are two volumes of cumulative indexes, one for flora and one for fauna. There is an accompanying volume on Bangladesh entitled 'Bangladesh Profile' that describes the land, climate and the environment of the country harbouring the rich biodiversity presented in the Encyclopaedia. The Index volumes also contain academic background, specialisation and contact details of the contributors, which would be useful to those wishing information on persons in specific areas with whom they might communicate for possible scientific linkage.

Each species is described under a format that contains scientific name, synonym(s), scientific description, which is somewhat technical for this to be useful to researchers and college and university students. There is also information on ecological aspects, status, ethnobiological use, conservation needs, etc. Reference is given to publications in peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, seminars, symposia and personal communication in order to authenticate the occurrence of the species in the region that now is part of Bangladesh.