Dragonflies and Damselflies of Bangladesh
Photography exhibition at AFD
A photography exhibition “Dragonflies and Damselflies of Bangladesh: Inventory First Phase”, organised by Jiban Bikash Karjocro (JBK), has begun at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka. The inaugural ceremony of the exhibition and book launching programme was held on August 5.
Ishtiaq Uddin Ahmed, country representative, IUCN Bangladesh; Ashit Ranjan Paul, conservator of forests, Wildlife and Nature Conservation Circle, Department of Forest and Professor Abdul Jabber Howlader, Dean, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Jahangirnagar University were present among others as guests on the occasion.
Dragonflies and damselflies play key roles in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. They are the indicators of different biotypes and habitats, and have been used as tools to assess the biological health of aquatic habitats. They are also considered model organisms to assess the effects of global climate change.
Jiban Bikash Karjocrom (JBK), a non government organisation in association with Department of Forest and IUCN Bangladesh took the initiative to uphold the importance and conservation awareness of these insects.
The inventory first phase spans from November '13 to May '16 and covered 30 districts of Bangladesh. The phase is imperative not only in terms of conducting baseline surveys of large geo-locations of Bangladesh but also the ability to work on areas that are considered hotspots of these species within the Chittagong and Sylhet Divisions.
The study also particularly covered Lawachara National Park, Satchari National Park, Razkandi Reserve Forest, Kaptai National Park, Himchhari National Park, Bhawal National Park, Char Kukri Mukri Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhabkunda Eco Park and National Botanical Garden at Mirpur.
A total of 30,0972 images comprising 62 species under nine families have been documented during the initial phase of this study. Among them, several species are considered as new species.
The exhibition is open till August 13 from 3pm to 9pm and 9am to 12 noon and 5pm to 8pmon (Fridays and Saturdays).