Bangladesh, a tropical country, is in the frontline of climate change impacts. It thus needs to be more prepared to successfully adapt and mitigate climate change impacts. Among many other international strategies to pay carbon credits to the low emitting nations, REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) has the biodiversity component, which promotes climate change impacts mitigation while conserving biodiversity.

As a participant of REDD+ strategy, Bangladesh primarily depends on forests to enhance carbon sequestration. Country’s recently prepared REDD+ readiness-roadmap overlooked soil carbon fluxes and the relationship between tree species diversity and carbon pool. It, thus, omits the conservation aspect of the REDD+ and lacks certainty in baseline carbon pool estimates.

This study aims to answer how efforts to increase carbon will affect tree species diversity of the forests by exploring relationships of tree species diversity with above ground tree carbon and soil organic carbon. To achieve this objective, 100 randomly selected 20m x 20m plots will be established in Lawachara National Park, country’s one of the most diverse protected areas. In these plots tree species diversity, above ground tree carbon, soil organic carbon, and soil carbon fluxes will be measured and their relationships with tree species diversity will be determined.

The findings of this study will be helpful for the policy makers and scientific understanding of the relationship between diversity and productivity.