Thai Cyperaceae: Distribution and Conservation
Carex juvenilis C.B. Clarke ex E.G. Camus, Thailand. Photo: D.A. Simpson.
The sedge family (Cyperaceae) in Thailand comprises 30 genera and 250 species. Cyperaceae are important economically, as weeds or as providers of food, matting, and construction materials. They are also indicators of degradation in wetlands, and potentially an important conservation tool in a country where degradation of such habitats is frequent.
Basic distribution data for Cyperaceae are published in the Flora of Thailand but there is a need for detailed distributional data that can be applied to preparing IUCN conservation assessments and monitoring of habitat degradation. There is also a need for a simple field guide to the family that is acceptable to a wide audience.
The aim of this planned project is to develop a resource base for Cyperaceae which will be available and of interest to a wide range of stakeholders, especially in conservation and sustainable use. There will be capacity building through the development of skills in plant identification, database and website development, GIS and field guide preparation. We will also build on the excellent collaboration that already exists between botanical isntitutes in Thailand and Kew.
We hope to develop a model on which larger projects involving families of high conservation value could be based. We also anticipate this work will help to determine the environmental well-being of wetland habitats in Thailand through changes in the distribution and frequency status of species. It will help to develop conservation ratings for Cyperaceae species in Thailand and will allow determination of priorities / provision of advice for both habitat and species conservation to be carried out more effectively and with greater accuracy.
Specific outputs will include: a database of Thai Cyperaceae based on existing databased records, herbarium records and fieldwork; an online atlas of Thai Cyperaceae representing some of the first detailed mapping for a whole plant family in any tropical country; a GIS model to predict occurrence of Cyperaceae related to factors such as habitat type and geology which will identify and monitor changes in distribution and thus habitat quality; an illustrated field guide to Cyperaceae in Thai and English.
Project Team
Project Leader: Simpson, David
Herbarium
Justin Moat, David Simpson
Project Partners and Collaborators
Thailand
Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation
Khon Kaen University