CU botanical garden now a place of tourist attraction
Saturday, 5 December 2009
CHITTAGONG, Dec 4 (BSS): The picturesque Botanical Garden of Chittagong University (CU) has turned into a place of tourist attraction and safe haven for wildlife which are alluring nature lovers and bird watchers to visit the place.
The garden endowed with lush green undulating hills and valleys with flora and fauna stretching over 400 acres has become a sanctuary of birds and other wildlife as it hosts many species of migratory birds.
There are 151 species of the birds in the CU botanical garden out of 788 species of country's total birds, according to a recent survey conducted by students and teachers of the Zoology Department.
According to the survey, the CU botanical garden and its adjacent forest areas host about 20 per cent of the total bird species of the country.
Of them, 87 per cent of birds stay permanently on the campus while the rests gather there in different seasons.
Besides, one or more new species of birds are seen on the campus every year particularly in the winter, said the survey.
Chittagong University is situated on 1,258 acres of land with hills and forests comprising 72 per cent forest of the total land area.
According to the experts and researchers, the number of bird species in Bangladesh is higher than those of the neighbouring countries in terms of area of land.
The statistics show that 1,302 species of birds are living in India, 737 in Pakistan, 441 in Sri Lanka, 680 in Bhutan, 901 in Nepal, 500 species in Afghanistan and 124 in the Maldives, said Prof Ghazi SM Asmat of Zoology Department, also president of the Bangladesh Wildlife Network.
Prof Asmat in his survey in 1985 showed that 79 species of birds stay on the campus.
Later, two other teachers - Farid Ahsan and Nasima Khanam - of the department, in another survey identified existence of 38 other species of birds on the campus.
The garden endowed with lush green undulating hills and valleys with flora and fauna stretching over 400 acres has become a sanctuary of birds and other wildlife as it hosts many species of migratory birds.
There are 151 species of the birds in the CU botanical garden out of 788 species of country's total birds, according to a recent survey conducted by students and teachers of the Zoology Department.
According to the survey, the CU botanical garden and its adjacent forest areas host about 20 per cent of the total bird species of the country.
Of them, 87 per cent of birds stay permanently on the campus while the rests gather there in different seasons.
Besides, one or more new species of birds are seen on the campus every year particularly in the winter, said the survey.
Chittagong University is situated on 1,258 acres of land with hills and forests comprising 72 per cent forest of the total land area.
According to the experts and researchers, the number of bird species in Bangladesh is higher than those of the neighbouring countries in terms of area of land.
The statistics show that 1,302 species of birds are living in India, 737 in Pakistan, 441 in Sri Lanka, 680 in Bhutan, 901 in Nepal, 500 species in Afghanistan and 124 in the Maldives, said Prof Ghazi SM Asmat of Zoology Department, also president of the Bangladesh Wildlife Network.
Prof Asmat in his survey in 1985 showed that 79 species of birds stay on the campus.
Later, two other teachers - Farid Ahsan and Nasima Khanam - of the department, in another survey identified existence of 38 other species of birds on the campus.