Karim Md Fazlul is a collaborative and results-oriented individual with robust skills in remote sensing (RS) and geographical information system (GIS) based research for sustainability and development. His expertise includes forest vertical structure mapping, vegetative cover vulnerability analysis, forest disturbance mapping, forest aboveground biomass modeling and estimation, climate change, and risk analysis. He excels at interpreting RS and GIS data, as well as census and community development data, transforming them into valuable information.

Currently, Mr. Karim is a fully funded PhD researcher at the Forest Risk Research Centre, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geography and Environment from Jagannath University, Bangladesh, and an MSc degree in Cartography and Geographical Information Engineering from Wuhan University, China. Before joining the Czech University of Life Sciences, he worked as an Information Management Coordinator at the Network for Information, Response, and Preparedness Activities on Disaster (NIRAPAD). During his tenure at NIRAPAD, Karim achieved significant milestones. In 2022, he played a crucial role as a technical team member in preparing the Bangladesh INFORM Sub-National Risk Index, covering 64 districts and 553 sub-districts, which serves as a robust baseline for risk monitoring in Bangladesh. He also contributed to the baseline report on strengthening forecast-based early actions in cyclone-prone coastal regions in Bangladesh (STEP project), funded by European Union Humanitarian Aid. Furthermore, he contributed to the report on assessing the effectiveness of the existing early warning system in Bangladesh, another project funded by European Union Humanitarian Aid.

During his time at Wuhan University, Karim authored several peer-reviewed SCI-indexed articles as the first author. One of his articles, published in the Remote Sensing Journal, is titled “Analysis of Vegetative Cover Vulnerability in Rohingya Refugee Camps of Bangladesh Using Landsat and Per Capita Greening Area (PCGA) Datasets.” In this study, he quantified the vegetative cover changes in Ukhiya-Teknaf and thirty-four refugee camps, including pre-refugee crisis and post-refugee crisis periods, to identify the factors behind the decline in vegetative cover.

Mr. Karim is currently working on mapping post-disturbance forest structure in Central Europe utilizing multi-sensor and multi-platform remote sensing data. His research seeks to answer the following questions:

(1) Which satellite products and technologies are most effective for mapping the vertical and horizontal structures of post-disturbance forest landscapes?

(2) How does the structure of disturbed forest landscapes change over the years post-disturbance?

(3) Does the disturbance and subsequent post-disturbance management of the forest lead to the homogenization of vertical forest structure, increasing the risk of future bark beetle outbreaks?