This project revitalizes the Centre National de Floristique (CNF), the state institution responsible for plant biodiversity studies and host of the national herbarium, by setting up a mechanism for plant data management in Côte d’Ivoire. Agreements for collaboration and research are being developed between the four project partners – the CNF; the Swiss Center for Scientific Research, a leading research institute in the country; the Jean Lorougnon Guédé University which surveys plant biodiversity in protected areas in the country and the Institut Botanique Aké-Assi d'Andokoi, which has significant holdings of academic and research data.
Following training workshops, over 75,000 data records held by the four partner organizations will be mobilized and a database and management tool will be developed. Data papers and policy briefs will also be produced towards the goal of applying the mobilized data in response to national priorities.
Project Progress
Following the initial stakeholder meeting during the early stages of the project, two intensive capacity-building missions were completed in France and Benin. Three workshops focusing on training and restitution were organised for participants involved with the project which have broadened the teachings from the capacity-building missions to a wider audience. Training from the workshops has focused on drafting policy briefs, and increasing available biodiversity data beyond the frame of the project.
The project has been working to strengthen partnerships of research institutions and data holders in the Ivory Coast by supplying an inventory of existing structures. Surveys were carried out in five cities; Abidjan, Yamoussoukro, Daloa, Bouake and Korhogo.
Through the project more than 1,600 species occurrences have been published and documents related to bio floristic activities ordered to reinforce libraries of partner structures.
Five workshops were organized for consortium members and institutional partners, as of the last part of the project. Furthermore, a training session was organized for Jean Lorougnon Guédé University (UJLOG) and the Swiss Center for Scientific Research (CSRS) for the digitalization of their herbarium.
CNF published 5 datasets on the GBIF website for a total of 15,125 occurrences, IBAAN published a dataset with 38 occurrences, and UJLOG released a dataset with 760 occurrences. In parallel with this digitization of speciemens, 7053 specimens were scanned at the CNF and 882 at Daloa. A database of CNF samples has been created and are available on their website as well as the number of plant specimens in the herbarium of the CNF.
