CHIANG MAI, Thailand—To strengthen the capacity of Association of Southeast Asian Nations member-states in using taxonomy as a tool for biodiversity conservation, the Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) recently conducted a 10-day taxonomic internship program on bryophytes and pteridophytes.
The internship program was supported by the Japan-Asean Integration Fund, Japan’s Ministry of Environment and the East and Southeast Asia Biodiversity Information Initiative of Japan held at the Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden (QSBG) in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the workshop introduced the participants to the taxonomy of terrestrial plants, particularly the mosses and ferns.
It also familiarized the participants with the general biology of these plants; and provided an opportunity for them to apply their taxonomic skills in methods of morphological observation; sample collection, processing and identification; and drafting of a field guide book on mosses and ferns.Dr. Filiberto Pollisco Jr., workshop coordinator and ACB policy research specialist, said the lack of trained human resources and inadequate capacities on taxonomy has been stressed as one of the obstacles in the implementation of country commitments to the Convention on Biological Diversity, especially in the Asean region.
“Lack of scientific information on biodiversity in this region is a crucial issue in the assessment and prediction of biodiversity changes, caused mainly by the lack of taxonomic capacity in data collection and analysis. This serves as a gap in the biodiversity conservation efforts of Asean member-states,” Pollisco explained.
He said that adequate taxonomy is one of the necessary fundamental tools required for the global community to be able to implement the Millennium Development Goals and the development targets from the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
“Without adequate long-term investment in the human, infrastructural, including important biological collections and information resources necessary to underpin the science of taxonomy, the now well-recognized taxonomic impediment will continue to prevent adequate implementation of sound, scientifically based sustainable, environmental management and development policies,” Pollisco said.
The workshop’s opening ceremony was addressed by Dr. Piyakaset Suksathan, director of Garden Department, on behalf of the QSBG Director Dr. Suyanee Vessabutr. He emphasized that bryophytes and pteridophytes play an important role in the ecosystem and that they are economically important. He said taxonomy would never die if there are people interested in the discipline, especially the young generation. “Taxonomy may falter due to lack of interest by many, but as long as there are those interested in it, although they may be few, they would keep the discipline alive for years to come.”
Taxonomy experts who served as resource speakers were Pollisco, Dr. Benito C. Tan of University of California-Berkeley; Dr. Boon-Chuan Ho of Singapore Botanic Gardens, National Parks Board, Singapore; Dr. Edwino S. Fernando of University of the Philippines Los Baños; Dr. Dedy Darnaedi of Research Center Biologi, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Indonesia; and Dr. Bayu Adjie of Bali Botanic Garden, Bali, Indonesia.
Rolando A. Inciong / Special to the BusinessMirror
Image credits: Rolando Inciong