13 December 2019
Thomas M Heller
Conservation Partnership Coordinator
Department
Team
Seed Conservation , UK & Islands - UK Overseas Territories
Specialism
Diversity and conservation of islands flora, especially Caribbean and South Atlantic UK Overseas territories
Biography
As a member of the UK and Islands Programme, I work in collaboration with partners in the UK Overseas Territories to document and conserve the wide diversity of these island floras. I currently manage projects to collect and bank at the Millennium Seed Bank the seeds of threatened plants from St Helena and across the Caribbean UKOTs (Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Turks and Caicos Islands), as well as develop capacity for managing seed collections in-country. I provide support and training to partners in plant identification and targeting, collecting seeds, herbarium specimens and data in the field. I also work on seed conservation projects in the UK, collecting seeds and undertaking baseline vegetation surveys. I have particular interests in the floras of the South Atlantic, Caribbean islands and the UK, and work on the identification of herbarium material of these regions.
Qualifications and appointments
- BSc (Hons), Botany, University of Bristol, 2000
- MSc, Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants, Edinburgh University, 2003
Selected publications
Heller, T. M., Pearce, L., Cheek, M., Fortune-Hopkins, H. & Onana, J.-M. (2011).
Cucurbitaceae.
In: Cheek, M., Harvey, Y. & Onana, J.-M. (eds), The Plants of Mefou Proposed National Park, Yaoundé, Cameroon: a Conservation Checklist. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 141-143.
Cheek, M., Oben, B. & Heller, T. (2009)
The identity of the west-central African Oricia lecomteana Pierre, with a new combination in Vepris(Rutaceae).
Kew Bulletin 64: 509-512.
Heller, T. M. & Cheek, M. (2004).
Rutaceae.
In: Cheek, M., Pollard, B.J., Darbyshire, I., Onana, J-M. & Wild, C. (eds), The Plants of Kupe, Mwanenguba and the Bakossi Mountains, Cameroon: a Conservation Checklist. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 395-397.
Projects
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Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPAs) in the British Virgin Islands (BVI)
Identifying key sites for plant and habitat conservation in the British Virgin Islands (BVI).
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Identifying and conserving resilient habitats in the British Virgin Islands
Informing conservation of globally threatened biodiversity by identifying forest habitats resilient to natural disasters in the British Virgin Islands.
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Global Tree Seed Bank Programme
Conserving some of the world’s rarest, endangered and useful tree and shrub species as well as conducting vital tree conservation research in order to retain a significant resource for humanity.
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