National forest inventory and forest monitoring systems are more important than ever considering continued global degradation of trees and forests. These systems are especially important in a country like Bangladesh, which is characterised by a large population density, climate change vulnerability and dependence on natural resources. With the aim of supporting the Government’s actions towards sustainable forest management through reliable information, the Bangladesh Forest Inventory (BFI) was designed and implemented through three components: biophysical inventory, socio-economic survey and remote sensing-based land cover mapping. This article documents the approach undertaken by the Forest Department under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to establish the BFI as a multipurpose, efficient, accurate and replicable national forest assessment. The design, operationalization and some key results of the process are presented. The BFI takes advantage of the latest and most well-accepted technological and methodological approaches. Importantly, it was designed through a collaborative process which drew from the experience and knowledge of multiple national and international entities. Overall, 1781 field plots were visited, 6400 households were surveyed, and a national land cover map for the year 2015 was produced. Innovative technological enhancements include a semi-automated segmentation approach for developing the wall-to-wall land cover map, an object-based national land characterisation system, consistent estimates between sample-based and mapped land cover areas, use of mobile apps for tree species identification and data collection, and use of differential global positioning system for referencing plot centres. Seven criteria, and multiple associated indicators, were developed for monitoring progress towards sustainable forest management goals, informing management decisions, and national and international reporting needs. A wide range of biophysical and socioeconomic data were collected, and in some cases integrated, for estimating the indicators. The BFI is a new information source tool for helping guide Bangladesh towards a sustainable future. Reliable information on the status of tree and forest resources, as well as land use, empowers evidence-based decision making across multiple stakeholders and at different levels for protecting natural resources. The integrated socio-economic data collected provides information about the interactions between people and their tree and forest resources, and the valuation of ecosystem services. The BFI is designed to be a permanent assessment of these resources, and future data collection will enable monitoring of trends against the current baseline. However, additional institutional support as well as continuation of collaboration among national partners is crucial for sustaining the BFI process in future.

中文翻译：

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孟加拉国多用途国家森林清单：设计，实施和主要成果

考虑到全球范围内树木和森林的持续退化，国家森林清单和森林监测系统比以往任何时候都更为重要。这些系统在像孟加拉国这样的国家中尤其重要，该国的人口密度高，气候变化脆弱性和对自然资源的依赖。为了通过可靠的信息支持政府在可持续森林管理方面的行动，孟加拉国森林清单（BFI）的设计和实施包括三个部分：生物物理清单，社会经济调查和基于遥感的土地覆盖图。本文记录了环境，森林和气候变化部下属的林业部为将BFI确立为多用途，高效，准确且可复制的国家森林评估。介绍了该过程的设计，操作和一些关键结果。BFI充分利用了最新和最广为接受的技术和方法。重要的是，它是通过协作过程设计的，该过程汲取了多个国家和国际实体的经验和知识。总共访问了1781个田地，调查了6400户家庭，并制作了2015年的全国土地覆盖图。创新的技术改进包括用于开发墙到墙土地覆盖图的半自动分割方法，基于对象的国家土地特征描述系统，基于样本的土地覆盖图和地图化的土地覆盖面积之间的一致估计，使用树木的移动应用程序识别和数据收集，以及使用差分全球定位系统来参考绘图中心。制定了七个标准和多个相关指标，以监测实现可持续森林管理目标的进度，告知管理决策以及国家和国际报告需求。收集了大量的生物物理和社会经济数据，并在某些情况下进行了整合，以评估指标。BFI是一种新的信息源工具，可帮助指导孟加拉国迈向可持续的未来。有关树木和森林资源状况以及土地使用情况的可靠信息，可以在多个利益相关者之间和不同级别上实施基于证据的决策，以保护自然资源。收集的综合社会经济数据提供了有关人们与其树木和森林资源之间的相互作用以及生态系统服务价值的信息。BFI旨在对这些资源进行永久性评估，将来的数据收集将能够根据当前基准监视趋势。但是，额外的机构支持以及国家合作伙伴之间继续合作对于将来维持BFI流程至关重要。