Tree diversity of Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh

Abstract

Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary is one of Bangladesh's richest centers of plant diversity and a natural hill forest in the country. Established in 1982 in the Habiganj district, this protected area covers 1,795 hectares and harbours an exceptional variety of native flora. We identified and recorded a total of 102 angiospermous tree species, comprising 1,400 individuals and belonging to 34 families, from Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary. Sixty percent of the tree species were represented by 10 families, while the remaining 40% are distributed across 24 families. The most species-rich family is Euphorbiaceae, with 11 species. Individual counts per species ranged from 1 to 97. Aporosa dioica (Kakra) was the most abundant species, represented by 97 individuals, followed by Dillenia pentagyna (94), Artocarpus chaplasha (78), Schima wallichii (76), and Dipterocarpus turbinatus (61). The average density of tree individuals per hectare was 295.07. Shannon's species diversity index (H') was 5.6762, and Simpson's concentration of dominance (C) was 0.0285. These values indicate that the sanctuary supports a highly diverse, relatively stable forest community with many nearly equally abundant tree species. Given that several of the more abundant species have economic, medicinal, or environmental significance, it is recommended that such species be incorporated into the forest management plan, particularly in new plantation programs or forest restoration in the area. For rare or endangered species, species distribution mapping and intensified monitoring efforts are also urgently required.

Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 33(1): 113-121, 2026 (June)