Vonona Randrianasolo

I coordinate the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership (MSBP) with Silo National des Graines Forestières (SNGF) in Madagascar.

Our aim is to identify and conserve the most threatened plant species of Madagascar through the MSBP, and the current focus is threatened endemic tree species with funding from the Garfield Weston Foundation.

We are guided by Target 8 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation under the Convention on Biological Diversity: At least 75 per cent of threatened plant species in ex situ collections, preferably in the country of origin, and at least 20 per cent available for recovery and restoration programmes.

We aim to support in-situ biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, sustainable landscape management and biodiversity research across all of Madagascar’s biomes and to avoid extinctions through ex-situ conservation. We are developing innovative methods to assess extinction risk, gather data, identify species and collect seeds through a network of communities and local NGOs.

• BSc Natural Sciences, University of Antananarivo
• MRes Botany, University of Antananarivo
• Kew Tropical Plant Identification Course
• Kew Seed Conservation Techniques Course