List of approved Symposia (to be continously updated):
1. Recent advances in fungal taxonomy in the context of African research
In the study of fungi, it is reported that the high numbers of taxa, the large proportion of unknown species, the logistical difficulties, lack of funding, the lack of basic checklists and experts are the reasons why fungal biodiversity is so understudied. Understanding and describing the diversity of these living organisms therefore represents a great challenge in developing African countries. Since mycology emerged as a scientific discipline, methods for studying fungal biodiversity have evolved drastically from cellular structures examinations to DNA characteristics evaluation due to the development of molecular techniques. Despite this, young African researchers are confronted with these questions on a daily basis: How to take advantage of the facilities offered by new methods in biological study? How to use digital platforms and database to go deep into fungal identification? How to involve communities for data interpretation? This symposium therefore aims to present recent and more adapted methods for the study of fungal biodiversity in the context of Africa. More specifically, by reviewing the methods of field data collection and sampling of fungi, by explaining the digitization and database process of fungal collections, by presenting the advantages of molecular and bioinformatics techniques in fungal studies and by discussing the need to use citizen science to increase the level of knowledge about mushrooms.
Organisers:
2. The Tropical African Plants Initiative: Mobilizing Large-scale Herbarium Data for Science and Conservation
Recent decades have seen significant realization of the immense value of biodiversity information resources, particularly in the form of primary biodiversity data (i.e., records of occurrence of a species at a place at a point in time) that are associated with herbarium voucher specimens. For tropical Africa, that herbarium specimen record is held in diverse institutions across Africa, Europe, America, and elsewhere. The Tropical African Plants (TAP) initiative is a large-scale effort funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation to mobilize all of the data from the region associated with specimens in U.S. herbaria, which total approximately one million specimens. TAP is designed for efficiency in information flow. Each of 20 participating herbaria is imaging all of its herbarium sheets from tropical Africa, and transcribing the data from the image to its institutional database. The data are shared globally and openly via the Symbiota platform, through the African Plants Portal (https://african-plants.org/portal/). At intervals, to add quantitative geographic references and key metadata to each record, text-format locality data are harvested from Symbiota, and organized into country-based work packets. Teams of trained and certified georeferencers based in four African countries (Ghana, Gabon, Rwanda, Malawi) then take the work packets and add key Darwin Core data fields to each record. Next, a group experienced with biodiversity data quality assessment will assess the entire dataset to detect problematic elements, and either correct them or flag them as problematic. Finally, the TAP dataset will be ready for scientific and conservation-related analyses and applications.
This symposium has two major objectives, and one overarching goal. The objectives are (1) to introduce TAP more broadly to the African plant biology community as a major and growing data resource that can be used in myriad studies and assessments, and (2) to pass on a suite of lessons learned and methodological advances that may support and make more efficient other such efforts. The overarching goal is quite simply to expand the incorporation of large-scale primary data resources in studies of African plants, taking advantage of data already held (albeit in analog formats) in institutions spread over three continents. TAP is striving to make these large-scale data resources efficiently available for analysis for science and policy.
Main Organiser: Alex Asase, Professor and Director – University of Ghana, Centre for Plant Medicine Research, Ghana
Co-Organiser: Pulchérie Bissiengou, Ph.D. – National Herbarium of Gabon, Gabon
Co-Organiser: Townsend Peterson – University of Kansas, USA
3. New digital tools to facilitate botanists’ work and the implementation of conservation strategies
Significant developments in digital tools, artificial intelligence and new technologies are transforming our societies and the way we work. This offers real opportunities to improve data collection and analysis, and to perform tasks that were previously difficult or impossible. The world of botany, and the study of plant communities in general, is no exception. Today, the botanical community in Africa is developing tools to facilitate field data collection, taxonomic identification and the implementation of conservation strategies by decision makers. The aim of this symposium is to show how these new approaches and tools can provide opportunities to reconcile the old and new generations of botanists by proposing working methods that are closer to the everyday life of the latter (use of telephones, drones, photography, use of web applications, etc.). This symposium will seek to present the widest possible range of these tools and approaches, to illustrate the opportunities, but also to address the technical and methodological obstacles that currently limit their use in African botany.
Main Organiser: Nicolas Texier, PhD – Université Libre de Bruxelles / Missouri Botanical Garden, Belgium
Co-Organiser: Gilles Dauby – Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, France
4. Advancement of African Floras and new developments on plant identification
Floras are still the basic tools needed to identify plants, a first necessary step to any botanical research and conservation activity. They also provide the basic information on the distribution, ecology, rarity, uses, etc. of species. While for some countries/regions a completed Flora is in place (although some have becomee outdated and need updating), others remain with an incomplete Flora series, or even no Flora at all. The global taxonomic community puts major efforts in advancing the production of African Floras by revising the herbarium material, preparing (diagnostic) morphological descriptions, creating user-friendly keys, etc. Meanwhile, technological advancements steer towards the development of e-Flora platforms rendering the management and updating of floristic data less cumbersome. The World Flora Online initiative, overseeing both a list of all plant names along with their status (accepted/synonym), managed by teams of worlds specialists, as well as descriptive content, distributional data and illustrations, provides further potential for the management of national and regional e-Floras. Further, the application of Artificial Intelligence to facilitate identification using photos is gaining momentum quickly and will offer the inclusion of verified observational data in e-Flora platforms. And finally, the results of AI Large Language Models to extract characters from plant description to be put into a character/taxon matrix are also very promising; such matrixes can be used to present multi-entry keys to users.
Main Organiser: Marc Sosef – Meise Botanic Garden, Belgium
Co-Organiser: Porter P. (Pete) Lowry II – Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis & Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, USA & France
5. Building Herbarium Resources for African Biodiversity Research
Herbarium collections are indispensable for biodiversity documentation, species discovery, and conservation planning. However, many African herbaria remain underfunded and underutilized, limiting their potential. This symposium will explore innovative approaches to advancing herbarium science in Africa, focusing on successful models of development, curation, digitization, and data integration. We will highlight programs that empower researchers and students, foster collaboration among herbaria and funding agencies, and demonstrate the application of herbarium collections to address pressing biodiversity challenges such as climate change, invasive species, and habitat loss. Expected outcomes include increased awareness of the critical role of African herbaria, enhanced global collaboration, identification of funding and training opportunities, actionable recommendations for integrating herbarium data into policy and conservation planning, and a strategic blueprint for establishing or modernizing herbarium collections in Africa.
Organisers:
Main Organiser: Dr Abubakar Bello – German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig, Germany; Department of Molecular Evolution and Plant Systematics & Herbarium (LZ), Leipzig, Germany; Department of Biology, Umaru Yar’adua University, Nigeria
Co-Organiser: Prof. Dr. Alexandra Nora Muellner-Riehl – Department of Molecular Evolution and Plant Systematics & Herbarium (LZ), Institute of Biology, Leipzig, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Leipzig, Germany
Co-Organiser: Dr. Daniel A. Zhigila – Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Gombe State University, Nigeria.
6. Seed conservation across Africa: building capacity for increased supply for restoration, research and use.
2025 represents an important milestone for the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) Partnership – we will be celebrating 25 years working in partnership with countries around the world to conserve their native flora. AETFAT 2025 represents an opportunity for us to come together with partners from across Africa to discuss our achievements to date, the work we are currently undertaking, and how we might best work together to build a strong network for seed conservation across Africa. This symposium will feature speakers from Madagascar, Ghana and the UK who are all working together on the Weston Global Tree Seed Bank programme, based at the MSB in the UK but working in partnership with 16 countries across Africa, America, Asia and Australasia to help protect the hardest to reach and rarest tree species on earth, and develop world leading techniques for conserving trees on the brink of extinction whose seeds cannot currently be banked. We are protecting trees from around the world by conserving their seeds, with a primary focus on using collections to accelerate on the ground conservation activities. We are working with local communities to restore diverse forest areas and increase the supply of native and threatened tree seeds for species recovery programmes. We are also studying the seeds of rare species and developing practical guidance to increase tree resilience in the face of a dramatically changing climate. Through this symposium we want to promote the importance of best practise in seed collection from endemic, threatened, and economically important tree species as a key solution for ex-situ conservation. We want to present shared challenges faced on the journey to increase native seed supply, and discuss the work that we are doing to overcome these barriers, inviting others at AETFAT2025 to collaborate with us in sharing challenges, solutions and best practise in long term seed conservation, short term seed storage to support restoration and ensuring sufficient genetic diversity in seed collections, with a focus on the work we are doing in Madagascar and Ghana.
Main Organiser: Miss Clare Callow – Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Millennium Seed Bank Partnership), UK
Co-Organiser: Mr Duncan Sanders – Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Millennium Seed Bank Partnership), UK
7. Conservation of Medicinal Plants in Ghana at the peak of “Galamsey” (Illegal Mining)
Medicinal plants have served as a critical resource for addressing fundamental healthcare needs since the dawn of humanity. Approximately 70% of the global population and 80% of individuals in Africa rely directly on plant-based medicines. The herbal medicine industry has emerged as one of the fastest-growing sectors worldwide, driven by an increasing consumer preference for natural products, the rising costs of synthetic pharmaceuticals, and the perception that natural remedies pose fewer health risks. Additionally, the relative expense of synthetic drugs has further contributed to the burgeoning interest in herbal medicine. Projections estimate that the herbal medicine market will reach a value of approximately $437 billion by 2032. However, one of the most significant threats to this industry is the availability of reliable raw materials. Illegal mining activities, commonly referred to as “Galamsey” in Ghana, pose a considerable risk to the survival of various plant species. These activities have resulted in the repurposing of lands, water bodies, and critical portions of forest reserves, leading to substantial challenges for the populations of several threatened plant species, particularly those under protection within forest reserves. It is in this light that a symposium is proposed to consolidate important findings regarding the impact of Galamsey on threatened plant populations, the potential ecological consequences for future generations, and the implications for herbal medicine products.
Main Organiser: Mr. Peter Atta-Adjei Junior – Centre for Plant Medicine Research, Ghana
Co-Organiser: Yaw Appau – Centre for Plant Medicine Research, Mampong, Ghana
Co-Organiser: Seyiram Kumordize, Centre for Plant Medicine Research, Ghana
8. From planning to conservation action: Progress towards the Conservation action plan for Ghana’s threatened tree species
The Conservation Action Plan for Ghana’s Threatened Tree species was published in 2023 and has a particular focus on Ghana’s thirty-eight endemic and near-endemic tree species. The action plan outlines 15 key objectives to facilitate the successful recovery of these species and acts as a roadmap for future conservation actions. The Ghana’s Threatened Trees Consortium has been established to help connect partners in the country, provide a forum to share knowledge, fundraise collaborative projects, provide expert recommendations and track conservation action. Attendees will learn how the network is moving from planning to action, including sharing of achievements but also lessons learnt.
Main Organiser: Yvette Harvey-Brown – Botanic Garden Conservation International, UK
Co-Organiser: James Amponsah – Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), Ghana
Co-Organiser: Dr Dickson Adom – KNUST, Ghana
9. Red Listing in Africa & Madagascar: Current and Future perspectives and applications
As a significant international institution for species conservation, the IUCN provides Red List assessments of extinction risk for species. However, there is a notable knowledge gap with regard to plants, with a considerable number of species currently classified as Data Deficient.
This symposium aims to bring together members of Plant Red List authorities in Africa & Madagascar and the wider community to share their experiences of red listing and how red listing is being applied e.g. through the species conservation cycle (Assess, Plan, Act). Speakers are invited to present on red listing at any level: global, regional or national. We invite speakers to take a forward look at what red listing remains to be done and how this might be achieved. We would welcome discussion on how red listing has influenced policy or fed into larger projects or what projects are in the pipeline where the outcomes of red listing might be the first step on the species conservation cycle. This symposium also welcomes communications on new techniques for red listing, updates on red listing efforts at national level, broader discussions and sharing experience on financing red listing initiatives, or challenges in training the new generation of red listers.
Main Organiser: Charlotte Couch – Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK
Co-Organiser: Ehoarn Bidault – Missouri Botanic Garden, France
Co-Organiser: Yvette Harvey-Brown – BGCI, UK
10. The Right Tree in The Right Place for The Right Purpose
Countries across Africa have made huge pledges to the Bonn Challenge. Whilst the aim is to restore degraded ecosystems, often the action taking place is not well-planned from a biodiversity perspective, focusing on the planting of non-native tree species or a small number of native species. The Right Tree in The Right Place for The Right Purpose project is improving native tree seed and seedling supply in five sub-Saharan African countries. The project aims to improve policy, seed supply systems and build capacity for native tree seed supply. A similar project is also on-going in Tanzania. This session will share examples from each country involved in the projects: Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, Burkina Faso and Tanzania, and resources developed by the projects.
Organisers:
11. The flora of Africa’s open ecosystems
African savannas are the original home of humanity and continue to provide invaluable ecosystem services. In order to understand and support Africa’s climate resilient ecosystems it is essential to integrate floristic and biodiversity knowledge with trait-based functional ecology approaches. The new IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology has defined the savannas and grasslands biome on a global scale, including four functional groups on the African continent: trophic savannas, pyric tussock savannas, temperate woodlands, and temperate subhumid grasslands. No species lists for exist for these functional groups. African floras vary in their definitions of vegetation types where plants occur, making it challenging to define or list the floras of open canopy ecosystems. The TANETI project, subset of the Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate, is working to define the plant functional open canopy ecosystems of Madagascar by creating a checklist open canopy ecosystem species. Our approaches include compiling all available data from herbarium collections and online database of Madagascar to trace back history of vegetation in the Island and to gain knowledge of better further conservation action requirements. The objectives of this symposium are to share, exchange and shift towards an approach that benefits this specific biodiversity. This symposium welcomes everyone interested in the plants of African grasslands, savannas, and open canopy woodlands, building a botanical community to study and protect these iconic African landscapes.
Main Organiser: Dr. Nivohenintsoa RAKOTONIRINA – Kew Madagascar – Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
Co-Organiser: Marina Noronirina Rabarimanarivo – Missouri Botanical Gardens Madagascar
Co-Organiser: Isabel Larridon – Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK
12. Pollen morphology and applied Palynology
Palynology is the science of pollen grains and spores of plants. Due to the high morphological variation of the exine (the outer layer of the pollen grains), palynological characteristics such as size, form, aperture architecture (i.e., number, position, type), and exine ornamentation and stratification are extremely informative for a range of scientific fields. For example, pollen morphology, ulstraculpture, and ultrastructure is applied to temporal-spatial Quaternary reconstruction of regional vegetation change, archaeological evidence to reconstruct agricultural land, honey quality control, ecology and pollination biology, criminal and forensic science, automated systems, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. In taxonomy and systematics, palynology can be helpful for delimiting new species or genera, and as a valuable resource for identifying plesiomorphic and synapomorphic characters in evolutionary studies. Palynology can also have important economic applications, such as melissopalynology, the study of the pollen grains contained in bees’ products (e.g. honey), through which it is possible to infer foraging behavior of the bees, identify the nectar and pollen resources to help the conservation of the plants for the bee pasture, characterize unifloral, multifloral, and adulterated honey and their geographical origin, and investigate bee diseases, contamination from fungus, yeast, bacteria, and poisons in honey. In recent year, pollen analysis has grown in importance in biodiversity studies as much as on social, health and economic significance areas.
Main Organiser: Dr. Higor Antonio Domingues – Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK
Co-Organiser: Dr. Ana Rita G. Simoes – – Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK
13. Enhancing taxonomy skills in Africa: joining efforts in training and international collaborations
Establishment of plant identity and their position in classification is the prime approach to exploring their value for the benefit of mankind. The African region is endowed with potent environment that supports rich biodiversity yet not much is known about plant diversity and its distribution in Africa. This is as a result of limited expertise in the botanical fraternity of Africa. Population growth has advanced anthropogenic activities contributing to climate change all over the world and the African continent suffers the consequences most due to inadequate financial resources. In the face of these challenges, the potential of the next generation of taxonomists who believe discovery as an essential for biodiversity conservation cannot be left unmined. A collaborative effort across the African continent is necessary to mitigate the menace of climate change and extinction, biodiversity conservation crises, aid classification and unearthing new species for their optimum benefits to the world. A Symposium is hereby proposed. The meeting aims at bringing together the taxonomists across the African continent, explore the capacity of the available resources, inspire, build capacity and collaboratively attempt to mitigate the afore mentioned challenges and more.
Main Organiser: Ana Rita G. Simões – Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Co-Organiser: Charlotte Sletten Bjora – University of Olso, Norway