Bangladesh Botanical Society

Bangladesh Botanical Society was established in 1972. Professor Dr. Md. Abul Bashar is the present President and Professor Dr. Ashfaque Ahmed is the current Secretary General of the society. The total number of members is over 2975 of which 541 are life members. The society is regularly publishing popular articles in one issue of Bengali journal named "Udvid Barta" and scientific articles in four issues of Bangladesh Journal of Botany.

In the early part of 1972, a group of botanists met at the University of Dhaka to form an Association called the "Bangladesh Botanical Society" with Prof. A. M. Eunus of Rajshahi University as its first President and Dr. M. A. Hannan of Atomic Energy Centre, Dhaka, as the first Secretary General. The main objectives of the Society were promoting various branches of plant sciences, making the importance of plants sciences known to the general public by holding conferences, seminars and symposia, and safeguarding the interest of the plant scientists.

In the first meeting it was also decided to publish a half yearly journal to be known as "Bangladesh Journal of Botany". Prof. Ahmed Shamsul Islam of the University of Dhaka, became the first Chief Editor of the journal. The first volume of the journal was published in July 1972. Since then the Society is publishing regularly two issues of each volume every year. The articles published in the journal were abstracted in "Current Contents", “Biological Abstracts" and "Current Advances in Plant Sciences" since 1982. A Bengali journal named "Udvid Barta" to disseminate knowledge of plant sciences in Bengali was initiated in 1986.

Ten Bangladesh Botanical Conference/Conventions have been held to date.

The following is a list of the past Presidents and Secretary Generals :

Years	Presidents	Secretary Generals
1972-73	Prof. A. M. Eunus	Dr. M. A. Hannan
1974-75	Dr. Quazi Akhtar Ahmed	Prof. A. K. M. Nurul Islam
1976-77	Dr. Syed Bazley Ali	Dr. Quazi Abdul Fattah
1978-80	Prof. Ashraful Haque	Dr. M. Akhtaruzzaman
1981-84	Dr. S. D. Chowdhury	Dr. Syed Hadiuzzaman
1985-86	Prof. A. K. M. Nurul Islam	Dr. Mohsin U. Patwary
1987-88	Prof. A. S. Islam	Dr. Mohsin U. Patwary
1989-90	Prof. Quazi Abdul Fattah	Prof. Iqbal Aziz Muttaqi
1991-92	Prof. Md. Abdul Aziz Khan	Dr. Abdul Aziz
1993-94	Prof. Md. Salar Khan	Prof. Abdul Aziz
1995-96	Prof. A. A. A. Muhsi	Dr. Nilufar Sadeque
1997-99	Prof. M. Akhtaruzzaman	Prof. A. K. M. Nazrul-Islam
2000-02	Prof. M. Arshad Ali	Prof. Md. Abul Bashar
2003-05	Prof. M. R. Khan	Prof. Nargis Jahan
2006-08	Prof. A.Z.M. Nowsher Ali Khan	Prof. Md. Abul Bashar
2009-11	Prof. Z.N. Tahmida Begum	Prof. Momtaz Begum
2012-14	UGC Prof. M. Mozammel Haque	Prof. M. Imdadul Hoque
2015-2017	Prof. Syed Hadiuzzaman	Prof. Sk. Shamimul Alam
2018-2020	Prof Dr. M. A. Gafur	Prof Dr. Mihir Lal Saha
2021-2023	Prof. Dr. Md. Abul Bashar	Prof. Dr. Ashfaque Ahmed

Internationally known Botanists like Dr. Norman E. Borlaug (Nobel Laureate), Prof. Arun Kumar Sharma D. Sc., President Indian Academy of Sciences and President Federation of Asian Academics and Societies and Dr. M. S. Swaminathan F. R. S., Director General, IRRI, Philippines were awarded Honorary Fellowships of the Society in the year 1979 and 1986, respectively.

Prof. Ahmad Shamsul Islam (1997), Prof. A.K.M. Nurul Islam (1997), Prof. Md. Salar Khan (2002), Prof. Quazi Abdul Fattah (2005), Prof. M. Akhtaruzzaman (2008) and Prof. M. R. Khan (2008) were awarded Honorary Fellowships of the Society.

Members of BBS who have donated to the Bangladesh Botanical Society Trust Fund are: 1. Dr. Mohsin U. Patwary 2. Dr. Z. N. Tahmida Begum 3. Prof. A. S. Islam 4. Dr. Iqbal Akhtar 5. Dr. Abdul Alim 5. Dr. Abdul Aziz

In addition the Society maintains Dr. Md. Abul Hassan Trust Fund donated by Professor Md. Abul Hassan.