Botanical Education Trust funds projects
The 2018 awards by the Botanical Education Trust have been released.
SIX applications for the Botanical Education Trust awards which would best serve the conservation of indigenous flora in the country, were selected for funding this year, totaling R115 000.
The Trust approved funding towards the publication of A Field Guide to succulent Euphorbias of southern Africa by Rolf and Alma Becker. Easy to use, with annotated photographs, it will make identification easy, so raising awareness and interest in conserving these succulent plants.
The current conservation status of the Hilton Daisy, Gerbera aurantiaca, is endangered with only about 20 populations remaining, and, because of commercial forestry, these are extremely fragmented and isolated. Carolina Diller of the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal received an award to study the population genetics of this beautiful plant. Her work will have implications for conservation of the mist belt grasslands of KwaZulu-Natal.
The Drakensberg Mountains are an important area of floristic diversity. Glynis Goodman-Cron of Wits University aims to help inform management approaches to protect this biodiversity hotspot and maintain its integrity. To this end, her research examines ecological drivers of diversification in the beautiful endemic genus Glumicalyx.
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Marie Jordaan received funding for a taxonomic revision of part of the genus Olea. This work provides critical basic information that can be applied to many practical aspects such as conservation status, environmental management and environmental education. Olea from southern Africa was last revised 55 years ago.
Natasha Visser, of the University of Johannesburg, received the balance of her funding approved in 2017, but subject to a progress report in 2018. She is making excellent progress with her taxonomic study of the southern African grassland species Thesium.
In 2014, Stephen Cousins received funding from the Trust for his work aimed at restoring the critically endangered Swartland Shale Renosterveld in the Western Cape. An extremely talented young botanist, he had already produced publications describing his progress when he was tragically killed in a motor vehicle accident this year. Martina Treurnicht, of Stellenbosch University, received an award in honour of Steven to continue this work.
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