About ANCF
Who We Are
Avayaranya Nature Conservation Foundation (ANCF), also know as Avayaranya (অভয়ারণ্য) is a nonprofit organisation founded in 2013 as a consortium of foresters and environment enthusiasts. Avayaranya is registed undr the Societies Registration Act, 1860 (No. S-13827/2022) of the Government of Bangladesh. We work across Bangladesh on the conservation of endangered trees, native fruit species, biodiversity, and climate action.
The name Avayaranya means "sanctuary" in Bengali language - a place where life is safe. That is what we try to build, one campus, one school, one hilly village at a time. The motivation of founding Avayaranya roots in our commitment to protect the native flora and fauna. Like, the co-founders are from 80s and 90s,, we were returning from school, picking some wildfruits from the roodside, it made our childhood colorful that reflected our heritate and culture. But such trees do not exist now, so are the birds they are geting lost due to food shortage and habitats. So, our core focus is to restore the native trees and biodiversity that reflect our heritage.
Why We Started
The co-founders of Avayaranya are from the 80s and 90s. We grew up in a different Bangladesh- a Bangladesh where we picked wild fruits from the roadside while walked home from school and. Jaam, lotkon, chalta, gab, dumur - they were just there, lining the roads, filling the air with smell and colour. We didn't think about it. It was just how life was. It made our childhood colorful. It was our heritage, our culture, the taste of the land we belonged to.
But those trees are not there anymore. The roadsides we walked as children - they look nothing like they used to. The old trees were cut, or just slowly disappeared, and nobody planted them back. And when the trees went, the birds went too. The birds that depended on those fruits, those branches, those hollows - they are getting lost because the food is gone, the habitat is gone. Season by season, the landscape we grew up in is being erased.
That is why we started Avayaranya. Not because of a policy paper or a funding call - because we felt the loss personally. We could see it. The trees of our childhood were vanishing, and with them, something that made this land ours. So our core focus is simple: restore the native trees and biodiversity that reflect our heritage. Not exotic species, not ornamental plantings - the trees that were always here. The ones that fed us, sheltered the birds, and connected us to the place we come from. We plant them, we tag them, we map where the endangered ones still survive, and we try to make sure the next generation gets to know them too - not from a textbook, but from the roadside, the way we did.
We Envision
A Bangladesh where native species, their habitats, and the communities that live alongside them thrive together — supported by science, sustained by local stewardship, and resilient to climate change.
Our Core Values
- Native first. We prioritise indigenous and endangered species over ornamental or exotic plantings.
- Community-led. Every project is anchored by local coordinators, schools, or institutions — not parachuted in.
- Evidence-based. We track what we plant, where, and what survives, and we use that data to plan the next season.
- Open. Our project history, maps, and field notes are shared so others can build on them.
What We Do
ANCF works across nine interconnected domains:
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Community Plantation
Native and endangered tree species planted with local communities.
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Climate Actions
Plantation, awareness, and advocacy linked to climate resilience.
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Tree Tagging
Labelling individual trees to support identification and monitoring.
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Biodiversity Conservation
Protecting habitats for native flora and fauna.
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Community Awareness
Schools, fairs, campuses, and youth engagement programmes.
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Forest Bathing
Guided nature immersion to rebuild a human–forest connection.
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Mapping
Spatial inventories of endangered plants and habitats.
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Science in Conservation
Quantitative tools (i-Tree, remote sensing) applied to field work.
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Nature Experience
Field visits and learning programmes for students and the public.
See programme details on the What We Do page →
Where We Work
ANCF projects since 2013 have spanned at least the following districts of Bangladesh:
- Dhaka division: Dhaka, Munshiganj, Madaripur, Tangail, Faridpur, Rajbari, Kishoreganj
- Chittagong division: Chattogram (incl. Sandwip), Bandarban, Rangamati, Cumilla
- Sylhet division: Sylhet
- Barisal division: Barisal, Pirojpur, Patuakhali
A detailed year-by-year project list is available in the ANCF project history PDF.
History at a Glance
2013 — Founded
Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Avayaranya is formed as a consortium of foresters and environment enthusiasts.
- First projects in Munshiganj, Tejgaon (Dhaka), Madaripur, and Dhaka University (Jagannath Hall).
2014–2016 — Expansion
Multiple districts
- Projects scale to schools and colleges across Kishoreganj, Cumilla, Bandarban, Faridpur, Munshiganj, and Madaripur.
- First hill-tract plantation in Ruma, Bandarban.
2017–2018 — Campus and Coastal Reach
Sylhet, Barisal, Sandwip
- Plantation and awareness programmes at SUST (Sylhet), multiple Barisal institutions, and Sandwip island (Chattogram).
- Tree-tagging initiatives gain traction on university campuses.
2019–present — Mapping, Research, Restoration
National
- Focus broadens to spatial mapping of endangered species, forest landscape restoration, tree-tagging programmes, and forest-bathing pilots. Book-fair and campus engagement continue annually.
Office and Contact
Office address: Holding-122, Bangshal, Dhaka-1100, Bangladesh Email: info@avayaranya.org Facebook: facebook.com/Avayaranyapage