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The great tropical rainforests of Africa
are some of the most species-rich natural habitats in
the world. Powered by sunlight, heat, and abundant rainfall,
these ancient, complex ecosystems teem with life, providing
homes to a unique assemblage of plants, animals, and fungi,
most of which are found nowhere else on earth.
Kew’s special area of expertise
is the rainforests of western Cameroon, where most of
our current research projects
and co-operative ventures are based.
The Cameroon link goes right back to
1861, when Kew’s first director, Sir William Hooker, sent
a botanist to explore and collect in the Gulf of Guinea.
Since then, the herbarium at Kew has built up an unrivalled
reference collection of Cameroon plants – some 50,000
which are now databased – that has provided the source
material for regional floras, botanical accounts, inventories,
and practical guidebooks. This wealth of knowledge is
now being shared with a new generation of Cameroon biologists
keen to continue researching, monitoring, and conserving
the extraordinary biodiversity of their rainforest heritage.
Kew’s main partner in Cameroon is the
National
Herbarium at Yaoundé, with which we have jointly secured
project funding that has enabled the training of new staff
through workshops, new computer and e-mail access, and
essential logistical support. We have also had a long
association with the Botanic Garden at Limbé, involving
not only Kew’s botanists but horticulturists as well,
helping redevelop their important nineteenth century gardens
and associated herbarium.
We are delighted to acknowledge the help
and support of Earthwatch
for substantial funding of field trips and for enabling
over 100 African botanists and conservationists from fourteen
different countries to join us in training programmes
in Cameroon since 1995. Additional funding for specific
projects has come from the Darwin
Initiative, BAT and the Global
Environment Facility.
The following pages provide an introduction
to the main project areas
where Kew scientists and staff have recently been involved
in biodiversity and conservation studies. Maps and images
show some of the scenery, plants, and interesting new
discoveries. Additional pages include a list of books
and scientific publications produced as a result of
this work, a file of locally distributed posters
on threatened plant species, plus brief biographies of
Kew’s current research team.
Contact: WTA@kew.org |
