Conservation efforts help an endangered dipterocarp spread roots in Bangladesh

Bringing Boilam Back to Bangladesh

Mahbubul Islam Polash, a 34-year-old from Sirajganj, Bangladesh, recently completed a mission to plant Anisoptera scaphula trees, known as boilam, across the country. On January 23, 2026, he planted the 64th sapling in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, marking the end of a campaign that began on World Environment Day in June 2024.

Polash learned that the tall boilam tree was endangered. Birds like kites and vultures were losing their nesting spots because of this. He decided to focus on planting boilams to help. "Even if it was just one species, I wanted to spread it countrywide," Polash told Mongabay.

A Challenging but Successful Effort

In 2019, Polash planned to collect seeds or saplings from the Chittagong Hill Tracts. He wanted to distribute them across Bangladesh. However, his first attempts to grow boilam seeds failed. He kept trying and, in 2023, he successfully germinated 74 seeds. These came from 2,000 seeds he got from mature trees in Bandarban and Khagrachhari districts.

Polash nurtured the saplings for a year near his home in Sirajganj. They grew to about 30-45 centimeters (12-18 inches) tall. Finally, these boilam saplings were planted in all 64 districts of Bangladesh. Polash spent 597 days and his own money on this project.