scholarly journals The World Flora Online 2020 project: will Cameroon come up to the expectation?

Rodriguésia ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 961-972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Michel Onana
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Flowering Plants ◽  
West African ◽  
Tropical Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Red Data Book ◽  
The World ◽  
Data Book ◽  
Plant Families ◽  
High Level

Abstract Biodiverse Cameroon has been highlighted as the top country in tropical Africa for plant species diversity per degree square, with a higher diversity than all other West African countries added together, and including two of the top documented centres of plant diversity in Tropical Africa. Despite its reduced taxonomic capacity, with only six active taxonomists a high level of botanical activity in the country has resulted in accomplishments such as the databasing of the YA Herbarium (over 60,000 records), which has an in-country collection coverage of almost 95% of the known plant species that are recorded for Cameroon. Other accomplishments are the Red Data Book of the Flowering Plants of Cameroon, several local checklists and published volumes of the Flore du Cameroun which covers 37% of the country's species. Currently the checklist of Cameroon records 7,850 taxa at species and infraspecific level. Resources are needed to support and heighten the profile of this small botanical community. Already thanks to strong collaboration between Cameroon and renowned botanical institutes of others countries, in particular France and United Kingdom, one hundred and thirteen plant families have been published and would help this country to complete the recording of its biodiversity towards contributing to the World Flora Online 2020 project.

scholarly journals Big hitting collectors make massive and disproportionate contribution to the discovery of plant species

2012 ◽  
Vol 279 (1736) ◽  
pp. 2269-2274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel P. Bebber ◽  
Mark A. Carine ◽  
Gerrit Davidse ◽  
David J. Harris ◽  
Elspeth M. Haston ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Type Specimens ◽  
Fundamental Goal ◽  
The World ◽  
Plant Families ◽  
The Right ◽  
Geographical Locations

Discovering biological diversity is a fundamental goal—made urgent by the alarmingly high rate of extinction. We have compiled information from more than 100 000 type specimens to quantify the role of collectors in the discovery of plant diversity. Our results show that more than half of all type specimens were collected by less than 2 per cent of collectors. This highly skewed pattern has persisted through time. We demonstrate that a number of attributes are associated with prolific plant collectors: a long career with increasing productivity and experience in several countries and plant families. These results imply that funding a small number of expert plant collectors in the right geographical locations should be an important element in any effective strategy to find undiscovered plant species and complete the inventory of the world flora.

Potentials and Problems of Hill Areas in Relation to Conservation of Wildlife in India

1980 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 193-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. M. Oza
Keyword(s):  
Nature Conservation ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Snow Leopard ◽  
Red Data Book ◽  
The World ◽  
Data Book ◽  
Wild Dog ◽  
Research Centres ◽  
Golden Langur ◽  
Nilgiri Langur

Basically through population pressures leading to habitat encroachment and commercial slaughter, India is becoming poorer, day be day, in her still-rich heritage of wildlife. Virgin forests on the plains and in the hilly regions are dwindling. Unfortunately, education and research centres have not cared to educate the youth of the country about the importance of nature conservation.The Author's field endeavours, extending over more than a decade, have helped to reveal that 18 of India's 27 threatened mammalian species—lion-tailed Macaque, Macaque, Nilgiri Langur, Golden Langur, Snub-nosed Langur, Wolf, Asiatic Wild Dog, Malabar Large-spotted Civet, Clouded Leopard, Indian Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Asian Elephant, Sumatran Rhinoceros, Kashmir Stag, Gaur, Wild Yak, Nilgiri Tahr, and Markhor—have their homes in hilly or montane habitats. Pradoxically, India has the dubious distinction of ranking second in the world, and first among the 15 countries of the Oriental region, in having 27 mammalian species whose world populations are to some extent threatened according to the Red Data Book (IUCN, 1972).

scholarly journals Molecular Characterization of Circulating DENV-2 During Outbreak in Northern Senegal, Rosso 2018

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Idrissa Dieng ◽  
Mignane Ndiaye ◽  
Marie Henriette Ndione ◽  
Safietou Sankhe ◽  
Moussa Moïse Diagne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dengue Infection ◽  
West African ◽  
Full Genome Sequencing ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Qrt Pcr ◽  
The North ◽  
Virus Incidence ◽  
Sporadic Cases ◽  
Set Up ◽  
High Level

Globally 390 millions of people are at risk of dengue infection; over the past 50 years the virus incidence increased thirty-fold. In Senegal, an unprecedented occurrence of outbreaks and sporadic cases was noticed since 2017. In October 2018 an outbreak of DENV-2 was reported in Rosso area in the north of Senegal at the border with Mauritania. Out of the 187 blood specimen samples collected, 27 were positives by qRT-PCR and 8 were serologically positive for DENV IgM. Serotyping using qRT-PCR reveals that isolates were positive for DENV-2. A subset of DENV-2 positives samples was selected and subjected to full genome sequencing followed by phylogenetic analysis. Analysis of 06 nearly completed genome sequences (n= 6) revealed that isolates belong to the cosmopolitan genotype and are closely related to the Mauritanian strains detected between 2017 and 2018 and those detected in many West African countries such as Burkina Faso or Cote d’Ivoire. Our results suggest a transboundary circulation of the DENV-2 cosmopolitan genotype between Senegal and Mauritania and call for a need of coordinated surveillance of arboviruses between these two countries. Interestingly, high level of homology between West African isolates highlights endemicity and call for a set-up of sub-regional viral genomic surveillance which will lead to a better understanding of viral dynamic, transmission and spread across Africa.

scholarly journals A Note on the invertebrates of the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park (excluding insects)

Koedoe ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
G De Graaff
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Flowering Plants ◽  
Red Data Book ◽  
Invertebrate Species ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Data Book

Invertebrates are conservatively estimated to comprise about three quarters of all living species (Wells, Pyle & Collins 1983, The IUCN Invertebrate Red Data Book, Gland : IUCN). Approximately 1 400 000 species of invertebrates have been described compared with 250 000 species of flowering plants and only some 46 000 species of vertebrates. According to Wells et al., some 800 000 known invertebrate species are insects and constant new discoveries indicate that this may be only a fraction of the global total.

Micro-Dependency: The Cuban Factor in Southern Africa

1981 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-345
Author(s):  
Ali A. Mazrui
Keyword(s):  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Third World ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
West African ◽  
African Countries ◽  
The Third ◽  
Industrialized Nations ◽  
The World ◽  
Gulf States ◽  
The Third World

We accept the proposition that the worst kind of dependency lies in North-South interaction. But emphasizing this dimension should not go to the extent of ignoring other dimensions. It is simply not true that all forms of international dependency concern interactions between the Northern Hemisphere and the South, or between industrialism and sources of raw materials. There are important forms of dependency among industrialized nations themselves. Increasingly, there are also forms of dependency between one country in the Third World and another; or between one region of the Third World and another. Dependency is a form of political castration. For the purposes of this essay, dependency between one country in the Northern Hemisphere and another or between one industrialized state and another, is categorized as macro-dependency. This involves variations in power within the upper stratum of the world system. Macro-dependency is thus upper-horizontal, involving variations in affluence among the affluent, or degree of might among the mighty. Micro-dependency for our purposes here concerns variations of technical development among the under-developed, or relative influence among the weak, or degrees of power among those that are basically exploited. The dependency of some West African countries upon Nigeria, or of some of the Gulf States upon Iran or Saudi Arabia, are cases of micro-dependency. We shall return to this level more fully later, but let us first begin with the phenomenon of macro-dependency.

Threatened species not necessarily rare, rare species not necessarily threatened

1997 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALF OREDSSON
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Threatened Plants ◽  
World Conservation ◽  
Red Data Book ◽  
Vascular Plant Species ◽  
Data Book ◽  
Selection Of Species ◽  
Of Greece ◽  
Selection Of

In the beautifully-illustrated book of rare and threatened plants of Greece (Phitos et al. 1995), the selection of species is based strictly on the four World Conservation Union (IUCN) categories of ‘extinct’, ‘endangered’, ‘vulnerable’ and ‘rare’ (Lucas & Synge 1978). The Swedish ‘red data’ book of plants (Aronsson et al. 1995) adds ‘care-demanding species’ to the list. Five percent of the total number of vascular plant species in Greece are included in the Greek book, while 23% of the vascular plant species in Sweden are in the Swedish book. This latter percentage may appear to be sufficiently large, but is it?

scholarly journals Vascular plant occurrences in grasslands of Central Forest Nature Reserve (Russia): a dataset

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oxana Cherednichenko ◽  
Tatiana Gavrilova
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Vascular Plant ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
Russian Plain ◽  
Tver Oblast ◽  
Red Data Book ◽  
Vascular Plant Species ◽  
Data Book ◽  
State Nature

Here we present the sampling event dataset that contributes to studying the flora of grasslands in Central Forest State Nature Biosphere Reserve (part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves), Tver Oblast, Russia. The Reserve is located in the SW part of the Valdai Upland within the main Caspian-Baltic watershed of the Russian plain (Latitude: 56° 26' – 56° 39' N, Longitude: 32° 29' – 33° 01' E). The territory of Central Forest Reserve belongs to the subzone of subtaiga. The dataset includes the occurrences of vascular plant species in four types of grasslands from 209 vegetation plots (8,506 associated occurrences), collected in 2013-2014. The dataset described in this paper has never been published before. As the grasslands in Central Forest State Nature Biosphere Reserve are relatively unstudied, we are providing a new comprehensive dataset on the vascular plant species occurrences in the grasslands of the Reserve. The dataset contains representative information on floristic composition of plant communities in localities with assigned GPS coordinates. As the vegetation of the Reserve is typical of the subtaiga subzone, the results of analysing this dataset can be useful for grassland management in the whole subtaiga subzone. During this study, we found one vascular plant species included in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation, three species from the Red Data Book of Tver Oblast, as well as 10 alien vascular plant species for the Reserve. These data, especially, the occurrences of protected and alien species, contribute to our knowledge of species composition of the grasslands of the Reserve.

scholarly journals Społeczności polskie i polonijne w Afryce Zachodniej

2021 ◽  
Vol 47 (1 (179)) ◽  
pp. 83-100
Author(s):  
Jacek Knopek
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
West Africa ◽  
West African ◽  
Communist Regime ◽  
African Countries ◽  
European Continent ◽  
Technical Staff ◽  
The World ◽  
African Families ◽  
The Military

Polish communities and Polish diaspora in West Africa The article points to the stay and activity of Poles in West Africa since the first links were forged until the present day. Initially they were present there as sailors serving under foreign flags. Later they were joined by the military and sailors who found themselves abroad. In the 19th c. and the interwar period, Polish civilian emigrants arrived there, although only as individuals. Another group were military emigrants who were present in the German colonial army and served in the French Foreign Legion. A larger group consisted of soldiers and officers of the Polish Army who were evacuated to Great Britain after 1939. Together with British soldiers, they transported planes from West Africa to Egypt, and then the planes fought against German troops. After completing their tasks, they returned to the European continent. The establishment of Polish communities and Polish diaspora in West Africa occurred after World War II. It was then that a small number of war emigrants concentrated there, along with Polish specialists, scientific and technical staff as well as missionaries, Polish-African families and representatives of Polish diaspora from other parts of the world. Until 1989, West African countries employed about 5 thousand specialists, and some of them were accompanied by families. The importance of scientific and technical staff declined after the fall of the communist regime. Since then, only a few specialists have gone to this region of the world. Contemporary Polish communities and Polish diaspora in West African countries are small, together constituting a community of about 700 people. Almost half of them have found a place to live or work in Nigeria, which has the largest economy and population. Other countries have much smaller communities. Streszczenie W artykule wskazuje się na pobyt i działalność Polaków w Afryce Zachodniej począwszy od pierwszych kontaktów aż do współczesności. Początkowo byli tam obecni jako żeglarze pływający pod banderami państw obcych. Później dołączyli do nich wojskowi i marynarze, którzy znaleźli się poza granicami kraju. W XIX w. i okresie międzywojennym dotarli tam polscy emigranci cywilni, były to jednak pojedyncze osoby. Inną grupę stanowili emigranci wojskowi, którzy obecni byli w niemieckich wojskach kolonialnych oraz służbę swą odbywali we francuskiej Legii Cudzoziemskiej. Większą liczebnie grupę stanowili żołnierze i oficerowie Wojska Polskiego, którzy po 1939 r. zostali ewakuowani do Wielkiej Brytanii. Z żołnierzami brytyjskimi transportowali samoloty z Afryki Zachodniej do Egiptu, które następnie walczyły z wojskami niemieckimi. Po wykonaniu swoich zadań wracali oni na kontynent europejski. Do powstania społeczności polskich i polonijnych w Afryce Zachodniej doszło po II wojnie światowej. To wówczas skupiła się tam nieliczna emigracja wojenna, zaczęli tam docierać polscy specjaliści i kadry naukowo-techniczne znad Wisły, przybywali misjonarze i misjonarki, polsko-afrykańskie rodziny oraz przedstawiciele Polonii z innych części świata. Do 1989 r. w krajach zachodnioafrykańskich zatrudnionych było ok. 5 tys. specjalistów, a niektórym z nich towarzyszyły rodziny. Znaczenie kadr naukowo-technicznych zmalało po transformacji systemowej. Odtąd nieliczni specjaliści udawali się do tego regionu świata. Współczesne skupiska polskie i polonijne w państwach Afryki Zachodniej należą do niewielkich, albowiem łącznie stanowią zbiorowość ok. 700-osobową. Niemal połowa z nich znalazła miejsce zamieszkania bądź zatrudnienia w Nigerii, który to kraj posiada największą gospodarkę oraz dysponuje najliczniejszą populacją. W innych krajach przebywają społeczności dużo mniejsze.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document