Wet Tropics: Africa
Future Plans
Collections (2006 onwards)
The Wet Tropics Africa plant specimen database is to be expanded from 65,000 to 75,000 specimens, by 1) further databasing of existing specimens at Kew, such as those from eastern Cameroon and 2) by the collection of more specimens on future surveys (by end 2009).
Baseline Plant Diversity Research (2006 onwards)
Two more protected-area conservation checklists in our existing series are to be published following further field surveys in Cameroon (by end 2009). Funding permitting, these are to be Mefou proposed National Park, and also the Fosimondi-Bechati forest.
Botanical survey work in Mikongo, Gabon, is to be started with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Earthwatch funding permitting. Mikongo is a Gorilla sanctuary, unsurveyed for plants. Data on plant species is required for Gorilla ecology work as well as for conservation management (by end 2007).
In 2007 the AETFAT Congress, will be held in Cameroon, Yaoundé. RBG Kew is committed to assisting Yaoundé to host this triennial congress for African botanists by co-ordinating the registration process, sponsoring some attendees and compiling the proceedings volume (Feb 2007).
Guinea-Conakry, Simandou Range. The conservation-focused survey of this, the most poorly surveyed upland area in the Loma-Man complex of Upper Guinea is to be extended from its inception in 2005. Linked with this survey is the development of a national herbarium for Guinea, and capacity building for Guinean botanists (see Guinea project) (by end 2007).
Comparative Plant Biology (2006 onwards)
Monographs are to be published of genera which are diverse in Wet Tropics of Africa: Berlinia (Leguminosae-Caesalpinoideae – see Project document), Octoknema (Olacaceae), Omphalocarpum (Sapotaceae), Oxygyne (Burmanniaceae) (by end 2009).
The sampling and molecular analysis of taxonomically anomalous genera and endemic families in the Wet Tropics of Africa is to be extended so as to better classify these taxa. Two papers are to be published. Work on Soyauxia, Medusandra and Hoplestigma is underway (by end 2009).
Sustainable Utilisation of Plant Resources (2006 onwards)
RBG Kew plans to continue as a collaborating partner in the PROTA programme, and to host the UK Country Office (2003-2010).
RBG Kew plans to see through to completion the marketing at Kew of sustainably sourced forest fruits, profits being returned through ANCO to the harvesters, providing them with a return for protecting their forests (by 2008).
Conservation and Environmental Monitoring (2006 onwards)
Red List assessments for all vascular plant species (8,000-10,000) in Cameroon are to be completed, supporting the initiative of Jean-Michel Onana and extending the work included in our previous conservation checklists (by end 2009).
Liberia GIS analysis of WAG-FFI botanical data-sets is to be completed to facilitate better prioritisation of the location of protected areas by the Liberian government.
RBG Kew plans to continue training African partners in Red Data assessment methodology and the techniques required for conducting conservation surveys of plants.
The Wet Tropics of Africa team is to support the HOTSPOTS project (see project document) in increasing the knowledge and understanding of those hotspots that occur in the Wet Tropics Africa region (by end of initial funding period that extends until 2009).