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Small Collections Grant

This page is used to provide assessment scores for each  grant application assigned to you. Please use the rubric below the grant details to enter your assessment scores and any notes you wish to include.
Please note that all scores entered must be whole numbers (no decimals), or you will be unable to save this form.

Documenting and visualizing the plant diversity of the Ayacucho region-Curation and digitization in the Herbarium San Cristobal de Huamanga - HSCH

jennypaucar@gmail.com

Perú

Digitally image, Conserve

Cost (USD): 

2000

HSCH

Universidad Nacional de San Cristóbal de Huamanga - Ayacucho - Perú

Objective:

The herbarium HSCH of Ayacucho, Peru, houses about 8000 specimens representing Andean taxa from different ecosystems in the region from highland grasslands to seasonal perennial and humid montane forests. The HSCH serves the academic community of the National University supporting training in botany. It is also a reference for local and regional institutions dealing with natural resources in Ayacucho, Apurimac and Huancavelica. This proposal aims to a) improve the curation of nearly 1500 specimens of HSCH, and b) digitize 1000 specimens of the most representative taxa of the local flora.

Timetable:

Month 1-3. Acquisition of plant mounting sheets, paper for labeling. Purchase of photographic, barcoding recording equipment, and external drives. Achieve the curation of 1500 specimens by three people. Preparation of protocol for image capture.
Months 3-5. Databasing of 2500 specimens. Elaboration of an image capture protocol for collaborators. Selection of 1000 specimens based on floristic family importance or endemicity for digitization.
Months 5-8. Start of image capture of selected specimens. Student training on the use of platform. Integration of information into the database on Symbiota-Neotropical Flora.
Months 9-12. Launch of bath of digitized specimens. Launch the website of the herbarium. Prepare reports.

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.

  • 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.

  • Curating specimens (e.g., updating families, species identification, identifying types) – up to 20 points.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • The project will yield durable benefits (specimens, digitized metadata, databases, websites) – up to 15 points.

  • The project involves outreach/mentoring and broad dissemination – up to 15 points.

This proposal scores:

/40

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Year of last successful SCG application:

Has applicant applied for SCG before?:

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Plan:

We plan the following actions: A) Improving the curation of the collection at HSCH requires completing mounting, relabeling of unmounted, new and damaged specimens of prioritized plant families based on floristic richness, endemicity, and representation in the flora. We have a set of nearly 1500 specimens in need of such attention, and we require mounting materials. These specimens are not found elsewhere. We have received support from visiting specialists identifying some key floristic elements. Funds will partially support our curator to carry out the curatorship leadership, the update of the taxonomic identification, and will prepare the selection of 1000 specimens for digitization. Upper undergraduate students will be encouraged to participate in curation and databasing (goal 2500 specimens), and we are asking for support for three students. B) Digitization of 1000 HSCH specimens. The HSCH database is already linked to Symbiota using the Neotropical Flora platform (https://serv.biokic.asu.edu/neotrop/plantae/collections/misc/collprofiles.php?collid=150&stat=taxonomy#taxonomystats). We need to emphasize the digital image captures of representative taxa of Ayacucho and integrate them into that platform. We need to obtain a barcode scanner and printer to process image registrations. Image digital capture will require improving our equipment acquiring a Macro Flash and LED lights, and two external drives. We will coordinate with the university for establishing a website.

Institution:

IH Code:

Country:

Target areas:

Applicant First Name/s:

email:

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"Other" target:

Jenny Olga Arrea Paucar

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Applicant Last Name/s:

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