The Biological Society of Pakistan (BSP), also known as the Biological Society of Pakistan, Lahore (BSPL) is an organization in Pakistan established to promote the learning and research of biology in the country. It was founded in 1949 by Dr. Sultan Ahmad, Dr. Muzzafar Ahmed, Dr. Abu Bakar, Prof. Ahsan-ul-Islam, and Prof. Waiz Hussain Bokhari, Scroll down to "SPECIAL FEATURES" and click on "Biological Society of Pakistan" and "Biologia (Research Journal)". and is hosted by Government College in Lahore.
The society receives funding from the Pakistan Science Foundation, part of the Ministry of Science and Technology.
History
The Biological Society of Pakistan was founded in 1949 under the auspices of the Pakistan Association for the Advancement of Science, by a group of biologists in Lahore, working at the zoology and botany departments of Government College and Punjab University, which at the time were housed in the same Government College building.
The society's founding charter states the objective of promoting the cause of biological sciences in Pakistan, by publishing an academic journal (to be called Pakistan Journal of Biology), holding meetings, seminars and conferences to discuss biological problems, and creating facilities for original research in biological sciences. The society was registered on 10 April 1955 under the Societies Act XXI of 1860 of the Punjab, with an initial membership of 142 scientists from across Pakistan. Mian Afzal Hussain was elected as the first president, with Nazir Ahmad as secretary and Sher Ahmad Lodhi as its treasurer.
In 1955, the scientists and teachers working in the botany and zoology department at Government College and Punjab University decided to rename the society the Biological Society of Pakistan and to publish a regular research journal. Ahsan-ul-Islam was assigned the job of framing the bylaws of the society and M. Saleem was assigned the task of enrolling the members of the society. Sultan Ahmad with Muzaffar Ahmad took over responsibility for the publication of the journal.
Events The president of the society, Dr. Anwar Malik, spoke at the "First National Conference on Biology" at Government College, on 29 or 30 March 2002.
The society collaborated with the Eco-Science Foundation at Government College University (GCU) to organize the third International Conference on Biosciences (ICBS-2018), focusing on sustainable food production, for three days starting on 9 May 2018. The chief organizer was GCU Professor Emeritus Dr. Ikram ul Haq, who was also the general secretary of the society.
The society collaborated with the Centre for Plant Sciences and Biodiversity of the University of Swat, the Higher Education Commission, and the Pakistan Science Foundation to organize the three-day 5th International Conference on "Advances in Biosciences: Bridging the Gap between Research and Sustainable Development Goals" on 24–26 May 2022. The organizing committee for the conference included the society's president, Prof. Dr. Anwar Malik, and its Secretary-General, Prof. Dr. Ikram-Ul-Haq.
Publications Biologia The society's official journal is Biologia, established in June 1955 as a collaboration between the departments of Botany and Zoology at Government College University, with its first editor-in-chief being Sultan Ahmad. It is published semi-annually, in June and December of each year. It has a print and linking ISSN of and an electronic ISSN of . The content is in English, French, and German.
It is indexed in AcadOF, Aqua Sci. & Fish Abstr., Aquacult. Abstr., BiolAb / Biol. Abstr., Bioresearch Index, BIOSIS Prev, CabiAb/CABI, ChemAb / Chem. Abstr., CSA, Curr. Adv. Ecol. Sci., CurCont, Deep Sea Res. & Oceanogr. Abstr., EMBiology, Environ. Sci. Pol. Mgmt., Field Crop Abstr., GeoRef, Ghealth, Google Scholar, Herb. Abstr., Hort. Abstr., IBIDS, IBR, IBZ, INIS AtomInd, Pakistan Current Contents, Rev. Arom. & Med. Plants, Rev. Plant Path., SCI / Sci. Cit. Ind. (coverage dropped), SCOPUS, Sherpa Romeo, Soils & Fert., Summon, VINITI, and ZooRec.
Monographs The society occasionally publishes monographs, the name of which is sometimes abbreviated as "Biol. Soc. Pak. Monogr."
Identifiers for the series include ; Hunt Institute 84573; and .
They have published the following monographs as of 1998:. This volume is labelled the "Biotechnology Number". +NumberDateAuthor(s)TitlePhysical formatContentsLibrary catalogs1/I1956 July 15Sultan AhmadFungi of West Pakistaniii+126 pp. + folded map cloth-bound; 9½ in. by 7 in. / 25 cm. / 8voAn annotated, comprehensive list of 1219 species (about being new records for the area) in standard taxonomic sequence, a bibliography, an index to genera, a complete host-index, and a large map of West Pakistan and adjoining areas. Includes 58 species of agarics and their allies.2/II1958Nazeer Ahmed Janjua, M. Maqsood Nasir, and Ghulam-Ullah Khan ChaudhryThe codling moth, Cydia pomonella (Linn.) in Baluchistaniv+122 pp. + 9 plates 24 cm.Includes 90 tables and 36 graphs about its distribution, host plants, nature and extent of damage, life and seasonal history, and natural enemies, based on 7 years of investigation from 1941 to 1947.3/III1958–1959Sultan Ahmad and Ralph Randles StewartGrasses of West Pakistanvi+388 pp. paper-bound; 9½ in. by 7 in. / 25 cm. / 8voHas two parts: pp. 1–151 "Subfamily Panicoideae" (1958) and pp. 153–388 "Subfamily Pooideae" (1959). Contains keys to the tribes, genera and all 370 species of grasses recorded from Pakistan, with a short diagnosis for each tribe and genus, and a detailed description for each species, including the distribution record of where it is located, and the collector's name but not the collector's number. Has a "generous" number of misprints. Part 1 has 70 species in 17 genera of the Tribe Paniceae, 60 in 31 of Andropogoneae, and 3 in 3 of Maydeae, none of which are new. Part 2 has a key to the tribes of the Pooideae of Pakistan; the characteristics of each tribe are followed by a key to the genera; each genus has a description, which is followed by a key to the species if there are multiple; each species has a description and an explanation of its distribution for the area covered.4/IVSultan AhmadPolyporaceae of West PakistanFeatures about 120 species.5/V1969 April 30Sultan AhmadFungi of West Pakistan, Supplement 1iv+110 pp. 25 cm. / 8voFeatures over 1000 species: 20 myxomycetes, 8 phycomycetes, 320 ascomycetes, 135 basidiomycetes, and 547 deuteromycetes.6/VI1972 April 4Sultan AhmadBasidiomycetes of West Pakistan+iii/iv+141/154 pp. + 9 plates 22 cm. / 8voAn aid to the identification of saprophytic basidiomycetous Fungi (except agarics and gasteromycetes). Has many gaps in areas covered, and does not discuss frequency of occurrence, ecological relationships, or economic importance. Uses the system of classification developed by Donk and Corner.7/VII1978 March 20Sultan AhmadAscomycetes of Pakistan, part 1vii+236 pp. paper-bound; 24 cm. / 8voContains keys and a taxonomic treatment of all groups. Includes some line drawings (usually diagnostic) and occasional photographs. Has literature references for each major division (Hemiascomycetes, Plectomycetes, Pyrenomycetes, and Discomycetes). Generally uses then-modern classification. Proposes some new combinations and taxa.8/VIII1978 March 20Sultan AhmadAscomycetes of Pakistan, part 2iii/iv+144 pp. 24 cm. / 8vo9/IX1980Sultan AhmadFlora of the Panjab/Punjab: keys to genera and species, part 1: Monocotyledonsat least 209 pages 24 cm.10/X1980Sultan AhmadFlora of the Panjab/Punjab: keys to genera and species, part 2: Dicotyledonsat least 66 pages 24 cm.11/XI1986Abu Bakr ()On a collection of Siwalik Carnivoraat least 64 pagesFeatures 16 species, including Vishnucyon nagriensis, Sivaonyx minor, Lycaena felina, and Panthera dhokpathanensis.12/XII1986M. H. Bokhari and W. FreySpecies/spices and flavouring used in Iran and Pakistanat least 45 pages and 13 plates13/XIII1987Fatima Mujib Bilquees/Bilqees () and Aly KhanAcanthocephala of fishes of Pakistan28/57 pp. 24 cm.Provides a general description of their morphology, physiology, biochemistry, and life-cycles, as well as descriptions of all 20 species recorded from fish in Pakistan, as well as a host-parasite list. Includes at least 38 figures, grouped in a special section.14/XIV/XIV1987Muhammad Sharif Khan and Rashida TasnimA field guide to the identification of herps of Pakistan, part I: Amphibia28 pp.15/XV/XV1990Muhammad Sharif Khan and Rashida TasnimA field guide to the identification of herps of Pakistan, part II: Cheloniaat least 15 pages16/XVI/XVI1990M. H. Bokhari and M. AshrafPulse crops of Pakistan
Other works The society also published Seventy five years History of Zoology by A. R. Shakoori and M. R. Mirza.
References
External links Biological Society of Pakistan Government College University, Lahore