The natural forests of Bangladesh have been seriously degraded, resulting in serious genetic erosion of FGR. There is a critical need to develop coordinated efforts to conserve and manage FGR. Effective and hopeful efforts have been developed into conservation activities, but national and international financial and technical assistance are needed to bring about success. The following recommendations have been put forward for the conservation and sustainable utilization of FGR in Bangladesh:
• Development of a database on the present status of flora and fauna in different ecosystems of Bangladesh.
• In situ and ex situ programmes to conserve, manage and use FGR should be significantly expanded.
• Community-based resource conservation needs to be emphasized.
• Improved silvicultural methods should be applied in the management of natural and plantation forests.
• The method of clear-felling followed by burning for plantation establishment must be stopped.
• Silvicultural measures for aided natural regeneration should be followed.
• Enrichment planting should be conducted in the forest gaps with diversified genetic resources collected from natural regeneration in the forest floor.
• Establishment of preservation plots and permanent sample plots in the reserved forest.
• Establishment of a genebank for conservation of FGR.
• Logging in the remaining natural forests must be stopped.
• Creation of diversified job opportunities for the hill people through Farming System approach.
• Improvement of shifting cultivation by improved technologies like SALT, DSA, etc.
• Introduction of a forest certification system for sustainable forest resources management.
• Awareness should be developed among the shifting cultivators about the detrimental effect of shifting cultivation.
• Education and training of professionals and technicians should be given to equip them with the latest knowledge of forest genetic resource survey, management and conservation.
• Strengthening the international cooperation for FGR conservation.
