Small Collections Grant
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Botanical collections of plants and fungi to improve the collections at the National Herbarium of Rwanda (NHR)
Rwanda
Conserve
Cost (USD):
1962
NHR
University of Rwanda/Center of Excellence in Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management
Objective:
The objectives of this project are: 1) conduct surveys for plant and fungi samples in Rwanda; 2) restore damaged or missing specimens in the National Herbarium of Rwanda (NHR); and 3) curate the collection (15,000 specimens) for digitization. The herbarium was neglected and partly destroyed during the 1994 genocide. This project will: 1) improve NHR to support research, education and conservation in Rwanda and the region and 2) document current plant and fungal diversity in Rwanda’s revitalized national parks and key areas outside parks. Funds will enable updated surveys to improve specimens.
Timetable:
April, 2020: Purchasing of field materials; Contact project partners; Permits requisition from RDB
May, 2020: Surveys and specimen collections in Akagera National Park (ANP)
June, 2020: Surveys and specimen collection in Volcanoes National Park (VNP)
July, 2020: Surveys and specimen collection in non-protected natural ecosystem and cultivated ecosystem
August, 2020: Surveys and specimen collection in Nyungwe National Park (NNP)
September to October, 2020: Mounting collected specimens, enter them in database and place them into cabinets
November to December, 2020: Creation of web portal
Scoring Rubric
Reviewer's name:
Collection Improvement (max. 120 points)
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Facilitating access to the physical collections by digitization (e.g., data entry, setting up database structure with an outline of the platform to be used, purchasing equipment, and imaging specimens) – up to 30 points.
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Enhancing physical collections by improving the conservation status of specimens in the herbarium (e.g., better folders, protecting covers, mounting paper, labeling, etc.) – up to 30 points.
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Curating specimens (e.g., updating families, species identification, identifying types) – up to 20 points.
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Increasing our understanding of the flora or funga by making new herbarium specimens available, such as processing of backlog or collecting and mounting of new specimens from understudied sites – up to 20 points.
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Securing collections by distribution of duplicates (or orphan collections) to other regional or international herbaria or shipping endangered collections to another herbarium – up to 20 points.
This proposal scores:
/120
Methods & Funding (max. 40 points)
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Match between the proposed budget and methods for the aims described – up to 10 points.
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Perceived need, the extent to which the project will benefit from IAPT funding: e.g., due to active floristic work or contribution to poorly collected sites, due to threatened conditions of collections, and for the degree of involvement of others (outreach and education). We give more points for herbaria in low- and middle-income countries – up to 20 points.
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Sharing duplicate specimens with other herbaria – up to 10 points.
This proposal scores:
/40
Broader Impacts (max. 40 points)
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Degree of regional importance of the collection or the taxonomic importance of the targeted collection – up to 10 points.
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The project will yield durable benefits (specimens, digitized metadata, databases, websites) – up to 15 points.
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The project involves outreach/mentoring and broad dissemination – up to 15 points.
This proposal scores:
/40
Year of last successful SCG application:
Has applicant applied for SCG before?:
Plan:
The incorporation of new specimens in National Herbarium of Rwanda requires fieldwork. The collection of specimens will be done in different ecological zones of Rwanda including the four protected areas (Nyungwe, Akagera, Volcano and Gishwati-Mukura National Parks), and non-protected natural ecosystems (wetlands, forest fragments) and cultivated ecosystems. The four national parks are surrounded by human-dominated mostly agricultural landscapes interspersed with wetlands, riparian zones, hedgerows and forest fragments. We will work with Rwanda Development Board (RDB) in order to obtain permits to sample in national parks. District managers will be consulted to sample in the areas outside the national parks. We will work with park managers, district leaders and botanists for accessibility and identification of specimens. We will work with local climbers to access plant material in the canopy as needed. Students from botany and conservation option at the University of Rwanda will be involved for capacity building and field assistance to the project and also to increase awareness of the herbarium and its importance. Currently, many of the undergraduate thesis projects require the deposition of voucher specimens. Research projects in the national parks plant collections, and therefore, there is always a student on a project, somewhere, collecting plants. Furthermore, we will work with the herbarium at Karisoke Research Center for further collaboration.
Institution:
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Applicant First Name/s:
email:
"Other" target:
Raymond Umazekabiri
Applicant Last Name/s: