Think globally, act locally Successful examples of projects - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Agadir, Morocco March 20th – 24th, 2017

Think globally, act locally

Successful examples of projects supporting restoration outside the Mediterranean Region

Dr Tiziana Ulian Natural Capital & Plant Health Department, RBG Kew

Conserving, using sustainably and restoring plant diversity

Outline

• Background
• Case study 1:
• MGU – Useful Plants Project
• Case study 2:
• ‘Great Green Wall’ Cross Border

Pilot Project

• Case study 3
• Global Tree Seed Bank Project
• Case study 4
• Toward conserving the Jordanian

Flora

• Conclusions

Background

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is a global resource for plant and fungal knowledge. One of the largest and most diverse collections of plant and fungal specimens (living and preserved) in the world: – >7 million herbarium vouchers – 35,000 species conserved ex situ as seeds – >30,000 taxa in the living collection – Library, art, archive 1,000 collaborators in > 100 countries provides the focus for developing plant-based solutions to global challenges such as biodiversity loss, food and water security, poverty, disease and climate change.

The MGU – Useful Plants Project

To enhance the capacity of local communities in Africa and Latin America to conserve and use sustainably indigenous plants

 Improve food security  Improve human health  Improve livelihoods  Contribute to climate change mitigation

Kenya, Botswana, Mali, South Africa and Mexico

The MGU – Useful Plants Project

Targeting and prioritizing Literature review, ethnobotanical surveys and community workshops 1480 useful plants (taxa)

Seed collecting and conservation Seed storage of 704 useful plants in country with duplicates in Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank (MSB), UK

Kigelia africana Trichilia emetica Acacia senegal Bursera aptera

The MGU – Useful Plants Project

Propagation protocols

Dioscorea strydomiana

371 useful plants propagated The MGU – Useful Plants Project

Propagation in the communities Improving propagation facilities (nurseries, tools) and training in local communities (seed collecting, propagating, etc.) 371 useful plants propagated The MGU – Useful Plants Project

Planting in local communities (useful plants gardens) 263 plant species (52,305 seedlings) planted 25 rural communities and 36 schools involved The MGU – Useful Plants Project

The MGU – Useful Plants Project

Sacred forests - Mali

• Five sacred forests (75 ha)
• Enrichment planting with 15 useful

trees

Antochleista kerstingii (five years) Afzelia africana (three years)

Supporting in situ conservation

The MGU – Useful Plants Project Sustainable use and income generation 34 plant species generating income for local communities

The MGU – Useful Plants Project

Research 289 plant species studied and 20 students supervised

‘Great Green Wall’ Cross Border Pilot Project

To contribute fighting desert progress in the Sahel by restoring ecosystems, valorising and managing sustainably natural resources  Improve habitats  Improve food security  Improve livelihoods  Contribute to climate change mitigation Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger

GGW restoration model: the approach Communities

• consu

sult with communities and assess their commi mmitmen tment and mo moti tivati tion

• understand local needs

needs and req requireme rements ts for restoration

• gathe

ther r informati rmation on species and their uses

Research

• be authenticated and be able to surv

rvive long-term term

• knowledge, expert

rtise and quality ma materi terial available

• be locally adapted and economi

mically useful to communities

• bio-divers

rse (trees/shrubs/grasses)

Procedures

• collecting quality seeds, seedling prod

roducti tion and soil prep reparati ration

• restoration – planting trees, direct seeding and assisting

natural regeneration at the onset of and during the rainy seasons.

Monitoring

Monitor and evaluate field performance:

• of planted seedlings, including collecting data on their

ma mainten tenance and ma manageme ment

• of committed acti

tiviti ties with and by commu mmuniti ties

• Cap. Building

Training in:

• the development of plant

t prod roducts ts, ma marke rketi ting and local business management

• seed collecting and nursery tec

techniques

• planting, maintenance and management of

plantations

‘Great Green Wall’ Cross Border Pilot Project Propagation and planting of useful species in the communities

• Production & planting: ca. 60,000

plants of 45 species per year

• Training of 9 private nursery

holders in seedling production and supply of nursery materials

• Training of 2 local associations for

environment protection in seed harvesting

• Training of local women

association in compost production and market garden good practices Soil improvement Example Mali

‘Great Green Wall’ Cross Border Pilot Project

Example Mali

Support to in situ conservation

• Assisting natural

regeneration in 5 sites of 20 ha (2015) and in 3 sites of 13 ha (2016)

• Restoring 25 ha in state forest

(district of Bankass) by sowing herbaceous useful species (ground cover)

• Restoring vegetation by sowing

herbaceous useful species on fallow land at two sites (1 ha and 3 ha )

Global Tree Seed Bank Project

Global Tree Seed Bank Project

Main Objectives

• Establish the Global Tree Seed

Bank – Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank (MSB), U.K.

• Collect & Bank 3,000 tree species
• Threatened, endemic, useful
• Increase genetic diversity
• Conduct tree conservation

research

• 4 Research Fellowships at Kew
• Collaborative research
• Facilitate reintroduction

programmes

Global Tree Seed Bank Project

Main Objectives

• Establish the Global Tree Seed

Bank – Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank (MSB), U.K.

• Collect & Bank 3,000 tree species
• Threatened, endemic, useful
• Increase genetic diversity
• Conduct tree conservation

research

• 4 Research Fellowships at Kew
• Collaborative research
• Facilitate reintroduction

programmes

Countries Cameroon, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Nigeria & Madagascar Bhutan, Indonesia, Thailand UKOTs (British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Monserrat) Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic & Mexico Europe: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, Italy, Poland, Spain USA Fiji, Hawaii, New Zealand

“Science-based conservation of tree species in Mexico”

Aim: To implement an integrated conservation programme to protect endemic, protected and useful trees Outputs

• Targeting & prioritising: list of trees
• f Mexico (3,831 species) with

information on conservation status, distribution and uses

• Tree seed conservation in country

and duplicated at Kew’s MSB.

• Research: protocol for screening

seed storage behaviour; seed viability and germination requirements Amphipterygium adstringens (Schltdl.) Standl (Photo: O. Tellez, Fes-I UNAM)

Zonas más ricas en especies endémicas de árboles

Zonas con mayor riqueza de especies amenazadas de árboles

“Saving threatened forests of Hispaniola (DR)”

Outputs

• Tree seed conservation: target

list of ca. 200 tree species; seeds to be conserved in country and duplicated at Kew MSB

• Research: protocol for screening

the seed storage behaviour and germination tests

• Propagation for native trees and

planting activities to support reforestation in degraded areas and Santo Domingo Aim To protect the forestry diversity in Hispaniola Melicoccus jimenezi (Alain) Acevedo-Rodr. (Photo: F. Jiménez, JBN)

Toward conserving the Jordanian Flora

• Millennium Seed Bank

Project (MSB)

• National Centre for

Agricultural Research and Extension (NCARE)/Directorate of Biodiversity

• 2001 Agreement between

NCARE and RBG Kew Background Toward conserving Jordanian Flora

Toward conserving the Jordanian Flora Purpose and main outputs To promote the conservation and sustainability of the traditional Mediterranean diet in Jordan 1. Establishing knowledge of rural communities on Mediterranean wild edible plants 2. Seed conservation and restoration of Mediterranean wild edible plants 3. Research to support the conservation and sustainable use of Mediterranean diet plants

Some examples

Gundelia tournefortii Akub floral buds sold at market Akub heads with lamb cooked in yoghurt Akub fried with eggs Cyclamen persicum Stuffed and cooked C. persicum Salvia hierosolymitana and stuffed and cooked leaves

Toward conserving the Jordanian Flora

Conclusions

• Indigenous useful plants prioritized according to communities’

needs to support human health, food security, livelihoods

• Importance to protect, store and value Traditional Knowledge
• Integrate conservation and restoration of useful plants with local

communities

• Income generation through the sustainable use of cultivated species
• Complementary research and multidisciplinary approach
• Capacity building for local communities and partners
• Participative approach by working in partnership
• Documenting and disseminating information at all levels
• Project findings to be showcased to influence decision makers

Thank you!

For more information: t.ulian@kew.org