Dr Hélène Ralimanana

I have been working at the Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre since 1999. 

I am currently the leading the KMCC Operations team which is composed of eight staff. I report to Dr Elizabeth Gardner the Deputy Director of Operations in Kew. 

My responsibilities include administration and finance, as well as tasks relating to human resources and liaising with our KMCC partners in Madagascar.

I am also involved in the operations side of a number of Kew projects, such as the ‘Achieving sustainable forest management through community managed protected areas in Madagascar’ (DEFRA project), ‘Native grass forage management to feed people and protect forests’ (Darwin project), and plant inventory projects (Bentham Moxon). 

My research focus is on the systematics of Phyllanthaceae, including a revision of Madagascan Phyllanthus and Meineckia and their conservation assessments. 

Ten new to science species have been described and published during my research. 

Over 80% of Madagascan Phyllanthaceae are endemic and many have highly restricted distribution. 

Furthermore, I additionally contribute to Madagascar plant species IUCN assessments. 

My work on the patterns of plant diversity in Madagascar is helping to inform conservation planning and is influencing the public, particularly when it comes to the prioritization of species and areas. 

Finally, I am also involved in science education by training young Malagasy researchers from the university of Antananarivo and Kew’s MSc. I help to inspire these researchers to pursue a career in biodiversity research and to become more engaged in conservation. 

• BSc, Natural Sciences, Univ. of Antanarivo, Madagascar, 1989
• MSc, Plant Ecology, Univ. of Antanarivo, Madagascar, 1990
• DEA, Univ. of Antanarivo, Madagascar, 1994
• PhD, Taxonomy and biogeography of Phyllanthaceae in MadagascarUniv. of Antanarivo, Madagascar, 2007
• IUCN-SSC Madagascar Plant Specialist Group (GSPM)
• AETFAT 2010 Organising Committee