Dhaka University Turns to Native Trees to Restore Campus Biodiversity

The university’s Arboriculture Research Centre, which manages greenery across the campus, recently distributed more than 3,000 native saplings for planting around residential halls and staff housing areas.

The species include sal, lotkon, banyan, pakur, fig, mango, jamun, silk cotton, palash, hijal, chhatim, kadam, palmyra palm, tamarind, arjun, jarul, Indian olive, neem, amla, krishnachura, shil koroi, jhau, haritaki, bahera and garjan.

Professor Mohammad Jashim Uddin, director of the centre, said native trees were gradually disappearing from the campus amid the growing presence of foreign species, damaging the local ecosystem.

He said Dhaka once had sal forests where around 90 per cent of the trees were sal. The city was also home to at least 100 other native tree species, valued for their flowers, fruit, medicinal benefits, support for wildlife and environmental importance.

Many of those species are no longer commonly found in the area. Professor Jashim said the university is also planting trees that are becoming rare or are at risk of extinction to make the campus more biodiverse and environmentally friendly.