Forestry & Environmental Science

    Faculty Profile

    Dr. A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid

    Professor

    Contact Information:

    • Office Address: Department of Forestry and Environmental Science Level-1, Academic Building-E Shahjalal University of Science and Technology Sylhet-3114, Bangladesh.
    • Phone: 01711302555; 880-821-714479, 716123 Ext-2606; 273
    • Email: pollen_forest@yahoo.com ; rashid-fes@sust.edu

    Biography:

    Born and brought up in the milieu of a forestry research institute, I have been widely inspired and motivated by nature and experienced its vibrant role and influence in environmental conservation and development from my early childhood. Having education and training in various aspects of forestry and environment science, I started my professional journey as a development practitioner dealing community and their active engagement in natural resource management (NRM). This particular journey widely influenced and shaped my career and research background. As an academic, I am now actively engaged in teaching, research and policy related activities which have provided me with an enhanced capacity and leadership on broader aspects of natural resources management (NRM). Furthermore my multidisciplinary education, research and professional engagement has enriched my practical knowledge and experiences through diversified learning approaches. I am confident to take on any academic, administrative and research position dealing with broader aspects of forestry and environment locally, regionally and internationally.

    Education:

    • Ph.D. in Environmental Law (Governance) University of Western Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
    • M.Sc. in Environmental Science (Biodiversity Management) Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
    • Post Graduate Diploma in Environment & Development Imperial College, University of London, United Kingdom.
    • M.Sc. in Forestry Institute of Forestry & Environmental Science University of Chittagong, Bangladesh
    • B.Sc. (Honors) in Forestry Institute of Forestry & Environmental Sciences University of Chittagong, Bangladesh.

    Research Interests:

    • Sustainable Natural Resource Management
    • Legal, institutional and policy issues of forestry and environement
    • Non-wood forest resources for community development
    • Sustainability of protected areas
    • Community based adapatation to climate change
    • Participatory, indigenous and sustainable forestry practices
    • Environmnetal governance for sustainable development of forestry sector

    Active Research Project

    1. Non-wood forest products of Asia: knowledge, conservation and livelihood
    2. Assessing Vulnerabilities and Adaption Strategies to Climate Change: Experiences from the Wetlands of the Northeastern Region of Bangladesh
    3. Forest restoration in Bangladesh: lesson learned and future outlooks

    Previous Research Project

    1. Co-researcher in study titled “Developing a protocol for fuelwood species selection in north- eastern region of Bangladesh” funded by University Research Centre, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh(ongoing).
    2. Lead Researcher in a study titled “Participatory training and extension approach to promote community livelihood and conservation through Agar (Aquilaria agallocha) and rattan based cultivation” funded by Rufford Small Grants for Nature Conservation, UK (2nd Grant).
    3. Lead Researcher in a study titled “Assessing co-management approach to protected areas management of Bangladesh in regards to conservation, livelihoods and institutional sustainability: a case study of Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary” funded by Rufford Small Grants for Nature Conservation, UK (1st Grant).
    4. Research Team Leader in a study titled “Alternative Media for Natural Resources Management” implemented by Bangladesh Institute of Theatre Arts (BITA) and funded by ICIMOD, Nepal.
    5. Research Coordinator in a study titled “Documentation of folk and indigenous medicinal plants especially popular among the tribal people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts” funded by UNDP, SEMP.
    6. Revaluating functional dynamics of community based organization of Tanguar Haor using IAD framework

    External Affiliations:

    • Executive Member, SUST Research Centre, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, sylhet, Bangladesh(2016- till to date).
    • Member- IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP)
    • Member- Asia Pacific Mountain Forum
    • Member- Rural Development Forestry Network
    • Associate Member- Environmental Law and Sustainability Cluster, Western Sydney University, Australia
    • Member, Board of Directors, Bangladesh Tropical Forest Conservation Intiatives (Arannyak Foundation )- 2020-2022.
    • Member, UN-REDD MRV National Working Group, Bangladesh Forest Department and FAO, Dhaka , Bangladesh92016-2019)..
    • Joint General Secretary, Instituion of Foresters Bangladesh.
    • Member, Governing Body, Jalalabad Ragib Rabeya Medical College, Sylhet, Bangladesh.
    • Convenor, Statutes Review Committee, Leading University, Sylhet, Bangladesh.
    • Member, Academic Council, Leading University, Sylhet, Bangladesh.
    • Member, Editorial Board, Frontier in Sustainable Food System
    • Member, Editorial Board, Bangladesh Journal of Forest Science (26.2. 2019-Todate)
    • Executive Member, Editorial Board, International Journal of Research on Land-use Sustainability
    • Member, Editorial Board, Khulna University Studies
    • Syndicate Member (Chancellor Nominee), Khulna University
    • Member, School of Post Graduate Graduate Studies, Sylhet Agriculture University (10. 8. 2017- 9. 8. 2019 & 29.3. 2022- 28. 3. 2024)
    • Member, Discipline-Specific Expert Committee, Bangladesh Accreditation Council (BAC)-11.08.2022 - to date
    • Member, Research Ethics Board (SREB), SUST, Sylhet, Bangladesh
    • Member, Curriculum Review Committee, Forestry and Environmental Science Department, Rangamati Science and Technology University, Rangamati Hill District
    • Member, Governing Body, Jalalabad Ragib Rabeya Medical College, Sylhet, Bangladesh
    • Member, IFESCU Alumni Association
    • Member, Editorial Board, Journal of Environmental Law and Policy
    • Chairperson, Board of Directors, Arannayk Foundation (2023-2025)
    • Editor-in-Chief, SUST Journal of Science and Technology (17. 3. 2023- till to date)
    • Member, Grant Review Committee (GRC), SUFAL Project, Bangladesh Forest Department.
    • Member, Research Coordination Committee (RCC), BFD-BFRI Research Partnership, World Bank-SUFAL Project (23.2.2022- to date).
    • Member, Program Committee, Society of Experts on Environment Development (SEED
    • Expert Member, Sylhet Divisional EIA Committee, Department of Environment Bangladesh (2016-19).
    • Expert Member (Chancellor Nominee) - Professor & Associate Professor Selection Board, Forestry & Wood Technology Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh.
    • Expert Member (Syndicate Nominee) - Lecturer and Assistant Professor Selection Board, Forestry & Wood Technology Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh (19.05.22-18.5. 2025)
    • Expert Member (Syndicate Nominee) -Lecturer & Assistant Professor Selection Board, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh (26. 7. 2018- 25. 7. 2020).
    • Executive Member, Board of Governance, Institute of Modern Languages, Shahjalal University of Science & Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh (28. 6. 2018- 27. 6. 2020).

    Awards & Recognition:

    • UNDP, SEMP Grant for studying folk medicinal plants of Bangladesh (amount $ 9, 500).
    • Rufford Small Grant for Nature Conservation, UK (2nd grant, amount £ 6, 000).
    • Rufford Small Grant for Nature Conservation, UK. (1st grant, amount £5, 800).
    • Commonwealth Environment Scholarship for Post Graduate Diploma study at the Imperial College, London University.
    • SIDA Scholarship for M.Sc. study at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Uppsala, Sweden.
    • UWS International Award for PhD study at the University of Western Sydney, Australia.
    • UWS IPRS Scholarship for PhD study at the University of Western Sydney, Australia.

    Journal Publications

    1. M Raqibul Hasan Siddiqui; Mahmood Hossain and A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid The dilemma of prioritizing conservation over livelihoods: Assessing the impact of fishing restriction to the fishermen of the Sundarbans
    2. Niaz Ahmed Khan, Junaid Kabir Choudhury, A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid and . M. R. Hasan Siddiqui, and Karishma Sinha . Co-management Practices by Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) in Selected Coastal Forest Zones of Bangladesh: A Focus on Sustainability
    3. Subroto, S. C. Davidsen, A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid and M. Cuadra; Dual governance and the shadow of the state authority: Co-management realities in Rema-Kalenga protected areas of Bangladesh
    4. Rabeya Sultana, S. Aktar, Md. A. Al Mamun, Md. Ashaduzzaman, Md. Q. Chowdhury and A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid.Durability of three tropical timber species growing in Bangladesh to white-rot fungi. Journal of the Indian Academy of Wood Science 1-9.
    5. Henry M.; ……………….A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid et al., 2021. A multi-purpose national forest inventory in Bangladesh: design, operationalisation and key results, Forest Ecosystems, 8:12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40663-021-00284-1
    6. Tahasina Chowdhury; A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid and M Tareq Khan Tipu, 2020. Biomas and carbon estimation of the four major tree species in Ratargul Swamp Forest, Bangladesh, SUST Journal of Science and Technology, Vol.30(1): 5-13.
    7. Md Tareq Khan Tipu, A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid, T. Chowdhury and M. Hossain, 2020. Semi destructive approach in developing allometric biomass for Chukrasia tabularis, A. Juss. In Sylhet Region of Bangladesh, Journal of Tropical Forest Science (Accepted).
    8. S. A. Mukul, A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid, M. Belal Uddin and Niaz Ahmed Khan, 2016. Role of non-timber forest products in sustaining forest-based livelihoods and rural households’ resilience capacity in and around protected area: a Bangladesh study, Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Vol. 59(4):628-642, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2015.1035774, a Taylor & Francis Journal).
    9. S. A. Mukul, A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid, M. Belal Uddin and Niaz Ahmed Khan, 2016. Role of non-timber forest products in sustaining forest-based livelihoods and rural households’ resilience capacity in and around protected area: a Bangladesh study, Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Vol. 59(4):628-642, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2015.1035774, a Taylor & Francis Journal).
    10. S. A. Mukul, A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid, M. Belal Uddin and Niaz Ahmed Khan, 2016. Role of non-timber forest products in sustaining forest-based livelihoods and rural households’ resilience capacity in and around protected area: a Bangladesh study, Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Vol. 59(4):628-642, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2015.1035774, a Taylor & Francis Journal).
    11. A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid, Donna Craig and Niaz Ahmed Khan, 2015. Selected dynamics of collaborative protected area management in the Global North and South – Experiences from Australia and Nepal, International Journal of Research on Land-use Sustainability, 2:113-124.
    12. A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid, Hakan Tunon, Niaz Ahmed Khan and Sharif Ahmed Mukul, 2014. Commercial cultivation by farmers of medicinal plants in northern Bangladesh, European Journal of Environmental Sciences, Vol. 4(1):60-68.
    13. S. A. Mukul, J. Herbohn, A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid and M. Belal Uddin, 2014. Comparing the effectiveness of forest law enforcement and economic incentives to prevent illegal logging in Bangladesh, The International Forestry Review, Vol. 16(3):363-375 (A Taylor & Francis Journal).
    14. Sharif A. Mukul et al. 2014. A new estimation of carbon in Bangladesh forest ecosystems with their spatial distribution and REDD+ implications, International Journal of Research on Land-use Sustainability Vol.1 (1): 32-40.
    15. A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid, Donna Craig, Sharif Ahmed Mukul and Niaz Ahmed Khan, 2013. A journey towards shared governance: status and prospects of collaborative management in the protected areas of Bangladesh, Journal of Forestry Research, Vol. 24(3): 599-605 (A Springer Journal).
    16. A Z M Hasanur Rahman, Rajesh Chakma and A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid, 2013. Community response towards climate change: A case study of the Madhupur National Park, International Journal of Forest Usufructs Management, Vol. 14(2):118-134.
    17. A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid, Donna Craig, Michael I Jeffery and Niaz Ahmed Khan, 2013. Forest protected area governance in Bangladesh: A focus on the legal and policy framework, Chinese Journal of Population, Resources and Environment, Vol. 11(4): 345-351 (A Taylor & Francis Journal).
    18. Sharif Ahmed Mukul, A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid, Shimona A Quazi, M Belal Uddin and Jefferson Fox, 2012. Local peoples’ responses to co-management regime in protected areas: A case study from Satchari National Park, Bangladesh, Forest Tress and Livelihood, Vol. 21(1):16-29 (A Taylor & Francis Journal).
    19. A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid, Md Qumruzzaman Chowdhury and A F M Saleh, 2012. Alternative Media and its Role in Natural Resources Management- Empirical Findings on Management Perspectives in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, International Journal of Forest Usufructs Management, Vol. 13(1): 22-33.
    20. Sharif Ahmed Mukul, A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid and M. Belal Uddin, 2012. The role of spiritual beliefs in conserving wildlife in religious shrines of Bangladesh, Biodiversity Vol. 13(2): 108-114 (A Taylor & Francis Journal).
    21. Sharif Ahmed Mukul, M. Belal Uddin, A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid and Jefferson Fox, 2010. Integrating livelihoods and conservation in protected areas: understanding the role and stakeholder views on prospects for non-timber forest products, a Bangladesh case study. International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology, Vol. 17(2):180-188 (A Taylor& Francis Journal).
    22. M Alam, A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid and Yasushi Furukawa, 2008. Policy implications and implementation of environmental ICTPs in developing states: Examples from Bangladesh, Green Journal, University of Idaho, issue 26, spring, 2008.
    23. M Qumruzzaman Chowdhury, A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid and Md Masuduzzaman Afrad, 2008. Growth performance of Teak (Tectona grandis Linn. f.) coppice under different canopy opening, Tropical Ecology, Vol. 49(2):245-250.
    24. A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid and M Sirajur Rahman, 2007. The herbal village of Bangladesh- status, potentiality and problems: experiences from Laxmipur Kholabaria village of Natore district, International Journal of Forest Usufructs Management, Vol. 8(1):17-28.
    25. Niaz Ahmed Khan and A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid, 2006. A study on indigenous medicinal plants and healing practices in Chittagong Hill Tracts (Bangladesh), African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Vol. 3(3): 37-47.
    26. A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid, Sohel Ahmed and Niaz Ahmed Khan, 2006. Rattan based enterprises in the northeastern Bangladesh, Journal of Bamboo and Rattan, Vol. 5(1&2):109-116.
    27. M ShahNewaz, M Kamaluddin and A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid, 2005. Growth and yield prediction models for hybrid Acacia (A. auriculiformis x A.mangium) grown in the plantations of Bangladesh, Pakistan Journal of Biological Science, Vol. 8(8): 1137-41.
    28. M Qumruzzaman Chowdhury, A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid, Mahbubul Alam and Niaz Ahmed Khan, 2005. Selected dynamics of human interference and impact on the reed forests of the Sylhet Region, International Journal of Biodiversity, Science and Management, Vol.1(1):58-64 (A Taylor & Francis Journal).
    29. M Qumruzzaman Chowdhury, A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid, M Shahnewaz and Mahbubul Alam, 2005. Effects of height on physical properties of wood of Jhau (Casuarina equisetifolia), Australian Forestry, Vol.70(1):99-102 (A Taylor & Francis Journal).
    30. M Qumruzzaman Chowdhury, A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid and Md Masuduzzaman Afrad, 2004. Socio-economic significance of reed forests in a rural community- a case study from the greater Sylhet region, Small-scale Forest Economics, Management and Policy, Vol. 3(1): 121-30, (An IUFRO Publication).

    Conference Proceedings

    1. H. M. Irfanullah; M. M. Rahman; A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid........ et al. 2016. Tanguar Haor- a decade-long conservation journey, IUCN Country Office, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Pp 62.

    Teaching

    • Community based natural resources management (CBNRM)
    • Protected area and wildlife management
    • Non-wood forest products
    • Introduction to forestry and environmental science
    • Environmental Impact assessment
    • Social forestry and forestry extension
    • Forest and environmental policy, law & administration
    • Biodiversity conservation
    • Principles and practices of silviculture
    • Environmental Governance and Diplomacy

    Graduate Supervision

    1. Assessing Vulnerabilities and Adaption Strategies to Climate Change: Experiences from the Wetlands of the Northeastern Region of Bangladesh (M. Sc. thesis 2021 ongoing)
    2. Semi destructive approach in developing allometric model for estimating above ground biomass of Chukrasia tabularis in Sylhet region, (M. Sc. Thesis 2020).
    3. Biomass and carbon stock estimation of four major species in Ratargul Swamp Forest, Bangladesh. (B. Sc. Project, 2020).
    4. Alternative Income Generation Potentialities of the Wetland Dependent Community at Tanguar Haor: An Empirical Study (B.Sc. Thesis, 2019).
    5. Assessing resilience capacity of the forest dependent communities in Madhupur National Park, (M. Sc. Thesis, 2018).
    6. essing resilience capacity of the forest dependent communities in Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary (M. Sc. Thesis, 2018).
    7. Community based adaptation mechanism for climate resilient ecosystem in wetland- An empirical study of Baikka Beel, Bangladesh (B. Sc. Thesis, 2018).
    8. Evaluating the effectiveness of Co-Management approach in devolution of forest resource governance and strengthening the livelihoods of forest dwellers: A case study in Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary, Bangladesh. (M. Sc. Thesis, 2016), Co-supervisor, Swedish Agriculture University, Uppsala, Sweden.
    9. Evaluating functional dynamics of community based organizations using institutional analysis and development (IAD) framework in Tanguar Haor (M.Sc. Thesis, 2016).