People

Ali, Natasha

Job Title CBD Implementation Officer
Department Herbarium, Library, Art and Archives
Section Conventions and Policy
Science Teams
Joined Kew 2001
Foreign Language(s) French (basic)

Qualifications & Appointments

BSc (Hons), Univ. of Sussex, 1999

MSc, Univ. of Birmingham, 2001

Role

Convention on Biological Diversity policy, implementation and capacity-building, focusing on access to genetic resources, benefit-sharing, the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation and Biodiversity and Climate Change.

Work with Kew staff, partners, UK and overseas policymakers and botanical institutions worldwide to build understanding and promote implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), particularly its provisions on access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing (ABS) and the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC). Provide advice on CBD issues at Kew and overseas, and implementation tools for Kew staff such as partnership agreements, standard documents, an intranet staff guide and training courses. Represent ex situ collections and communicate practical implementation issues at ABS policy fora. Advise the UK government (Defra) on ABS policy development and practical implications for UK research collections and gardens, and participate in CBD/ABS meetings as a member of the UK delegation. Design of capacity-building tools for botanical gardens, herbaria and universities, such as ‘The CBD for Botanists’, and modules for Kew’s international diploma courses, UK university courses and the Kew Diploma in Horticulture course. Currently tracking and assessing Kew’s contribution to the the CBD work programme on Biodiversity and Climate change.

Projects

Development of Predictive Tool of Germination Requirements for MSB Collections

European Distributed Institute of Taxonomy (EDIT)

Maximising Seed Quality: Maturity and Post-harvest Studies

Screening for Physical Dormancy (MSBP Collections) (Project completed)

Solving Seed Germination Problems in Conservation Collections

Theme: Diagnosis of Viability and Germination

Theme: Ecophysiology and Morphology

Theme: Post-Harvest Technology