Md. Naif Ahmed Chowdhury

About Me

Forest-science professional from Bangladesh with 5+ years of experience in ecology, forestry and biodiversity. Currently working as a Research Consultant at CEGIS under the Ministry of Water Resources. Focus areas include forest health monitoring, biodiversity surveys, afforestation/reforestation and landscape restoration planning, environmental impact assessment, and ecosystem services assessment. Experienced across the Sundarbans, Chittagong Hill Tracts, wetlands and coastal regions.

Forest Health & Biophysical Survey EIA / ESIA Afforestation & Restoration Biodiversity Inventory Soil Carbon Dynamics Ecosystem Services

Professional Experience

Research Consultant

CEGIS (Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services) Sep 2021 – Present

Forest & ecosystem research, extensive field surveys, ecological data collection & QA/QC, analysis, technical reporting and proposal preparation. Work spans forest health monitoring, regeneration studies, species diversity, canopy/light assessment and soil sampling. Tools include Range Finder, Spherical Densiometer, GPS, Lux Meter.

Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting Officer

Shushilan (NGO) Aug 2020 – Apr 2021

Oversaw disaster risk reduction in Rohingya refugee camps via afforestation and structural interventions, data collection, database management and operational reporting (weekly updates, operational plans, beneficiary databases, distribution reports).

Research Assistant

Khulna University (Discipline of Forestry & Wood Technology) Jan 2017 – Dec 2018

Lab analysis for soil texture, bulk density, organic carbon and plant nutrients (N, P, K, Na), EC & pH. Contributed to establishing Bangladesh’s first soil archive and to the Bangladesh Forest Inventory project through sample processing, database development and analysis.

Key Projects & Field Work

Sundarbans Mangrove Forest Health Monitoring — BIFPCL (2021–present)

ESIA for Temporary Facility, Camp 26 (Teknaf) — UNDP (Project Lead, 2025–present)

Nature‑Based Solutions for PBCRG Schemes — UNDP (Assistant PL, 2025–present)

Integrated Collaborative Forest Management Plan — BFD (2024–)

Agroecological Landscape Restoration (CHT) — ADB (2022–)

Landslide Risk Profile & Bio‑engineering (CHT Roads) — RHD (2022–)

Coastal Greenbelt Zones Planning — World Bank (2023)

Water Quality DB of Trans‑boundary Rivers — JRC (2020–2023)

Independent ESMS Audit (ECCCP‑Flood) — PKSF (2023)

SEA for SW Region incl. Sundarbans — BFD (2021)

F&A Climate Risk & Adaptation — FAO (2021–2023)

National Adaptation Plan (NAP) — GCF/UNDP/DoE (2021–2022)

EPZ Feasibility & ESIA — BEPZA (2021–2022)

IEE/EIA/RP Studies — TGTDCL (2021–2022)

Vascular Plant Survey — BNH (2022–)

Technical & Research Skills

GIS & Mapping: ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Survey123; Map creation, digitizing, overlays, interpolation
Field Tools: Range Finder, Spherical Densiometer, GPS, Lux Meter
Data/Programming: R; Digital & Internet literacy; MS Word/Excel/PowerPoint
Field/Data Apps: ODK Collect, i‑Tree Eco
Assessment: Environmental & Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), Ecosystem services assessment
Domains: Forest health, biodiversity inventory, soil carbon & biogeochemical analysis

Training & Certifications

ArcGIS Pro — CEGIS (Apr 9–13, 2025)
Earth Observation for Forest Carbon Estimation/Degradation Monitoring — ICIMOD (Apr 29–May 2, 2024)
LiDAR‑based UAV Tech for Forest Management — Busan Technopark, Uconsystem, Hojung, BFD, CEGIS (Nov 25–Dec 7, 2023)
Urban Tree Inventory using i‑Tree — USFS Compass (Sep 28–29, 2023)
Practitioner’s Course on ESIA — CEGIS (Apr 9–12, 2023)
Vascular Plant Survey & Herbarium — Bangladesh National Herbarium (Oct 13–20, 2022)
Forestry & Agroforestry Tech for Professionals — BARC (Mar 2–3, 2022)
Allometric Equation Dev. (Hill Zone) — BFD/FAO/Khulna Univ. (Mar–Apr 2018)
Research Methodology — HEQEP CP‑4035 & Khulna Univ. (Jan 26–27, 2018)

Selected Publications

Exploring Soil Carbon and Nutrient Profiles in the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest of Bangladesh, Ecol Conserv Sci (2025).
Spatiotemporal change detection of LULC in Fashiakhali Wildlife Sanctuary, Modeling Earth Systems & Environment (2023).
Geomorphological changes and ecosystem services dynamics of Bhasan Char Island, Ocean & Coastal Management (2024).
M.Sc. Thesis: Carbon dynamics in soil profile of mature & pioneer stands of the Sundarbans; variation across saline zones.
B.Sc. Thesis: Nutrients (N, P, K) in leaves of Heritiera fomes across saline zones; ArcMap 10.2.1 mapping.