DHAKA, May 21, 2026 (BSS)- Bangladesh should establish “gene pools” in its different regions to prevent biodiversity loss and protect environment, according to experts.

“Gene pools should be protected in different regions of the country as biodiversity is at risk here due to various reasons,” said Ishtiaq Uddin Ahmed, former Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) of Bangladesh Forest Department.

In a recent interview with BSS ahead of the International Day for Biological Diversity, Ishtiaq said a gene pool is the total sums of all genetic material- all genes and their different forms (alleles)-within a specific, interbreeding population.
 
He said a gene pool represents the total genetic diversity available to a species, serving as the foundation for natural selection and evolution.
 
ABM Sarowar Alam, Programme Manager (Species and Habitats) at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Bangladesh, said the gene pool is very important for wildlife, plants and insects since the country’s biodiversity is facing various threats and many species are being hybridised.
 
Given an example of Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), also known as fish-eating crocodile, he said Gharials are often found in the rivers of Bangladesh but India claims that it is their own species.

 “If we had a gene pool, we could tell whether this species is ours,” Alam said.

Biodiversity loss in Bangladesh is driven by rapid habitat destruction, industrial pollution, and climate change, threatening numerous species.
 
According to IUCN Bangladesh some 156 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians are at risk, with about 10 percent of plant species potentially extinct. Key threats include deforestation, wetland degradation, and overexploitation, with substantial declines in fish and wildlife across the Sundarbans and Chittagong hills.

About biodiversity loss, Ishtiaq Uddin, also former Country Representative of IUCN Bangladesh, said species are being disappeared from nature due to human actions and overexploitation of natural resources.
 
He said forest degradation and deforestation are going on across the country for lack of adequate manpower to monitor those, enforcement of laws and effective steps to conserve nature.

Ishtiaq said social and political commitment to forest and biodiversity conservation is ‘doubtful’, while community engagement is yet to be made mature to this end.
  
“Win-win situation must be created in community engagement so that local people come forward towards protecting forests,” he said.

He also stressed launching motivational programmes to encourage local people in nature and biodiversity conservation and empowering local communities to this end.
 
Ishtiaq suggested preventing monoculture to ensure biological diversity in the country. “It would be very hard to stop monoculture completely but it should be limited according to demand,” he said.

The International Day for Biological Diversity will be celebrated in Bangladesh like elsewhere around the world tomorrow (May 22) with a call to protect biodiversity and nature.

The theme of the day for 2026 is "Acting locally for global impact," highlighting that success in protecting nature depends on community-led actions and partnerships, connecting local initiatives to the 23 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).