Addressing the needs of the users of botanical information

72 Pages·2002·5.5 MB·English

by  Y. Steenkamp & G. F. Smith

Addressing the needs
the users
of of
rican Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 1
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Proceedings of a National Workshop for Stakeholders
and End-Users of Botanical Information and Herbaria
National Herbarium, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
6-8 February 2002
Steenkamp & Smith
Y. G.F.
Technical editor: J.C. Scheepers
NATIONAL
Botanical
INSTITUTE
Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 15 August 2002
This book is a reprint (with minor editorial changes and corrections) ofthefirst edition, which was published
in June 2002.
Recommended citation format:
Steenkamp, Y. & Smith, G.F. 2002. Addressing the Needs ofthe Users of Botanical Information. Southern
African BotanicalNetwork ReportNo. 15. SABONET, Pretoria.
Published by
The Project Coordinator
Southern African Botanical Diversity Network
do National Botanical Institute
Private Bag X101
Pretoria
0001 SOUTH AFRICA
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
From whom copies of reports in thisseries are available on request.
ISBN 1-919795-65-0
© 2002 SABONET. All rights reserved. No partofthis publication may be reproduced ortransmitted in any
form or byany meanswithoutthe permission ofthe copyright holder. The SABONET Project Coordinator
(address above) would appreciate receiving a copy ofany publication that usesthis report as a source.
Cover: Background photograph: Scene at Itala Nature Reserve (Louwsburg), nearVryheid, KwaZulu-Natal.
Photo: Erwin Prozesky. Photograph oftraditional Healers: Neil Crouch. Other photographs: SABONET
Archives.
Coverdesign: Sandra Turck
Text design and layout: Antoinette Burkhardt, Pretoria, South Africa (27) 82 909-0109.
Printed in 2002 in the Republic ofSouth Africa by Business Print Centre, Pretoria, (27) 12 349-2295.
SABONET web site: http://www.sabonet.org
NBI web site: http://www.nbi.ac.za
This report is a joint product ofthe National Botanical Institute of South Africa and the Southern African
Botanical Diversity Network (SABONET) and was made possiblethrough support provided bythe Global
Environment Facility (GEF)/United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United StatesAgency
—
for International Development (USAID)/World Conservation Union Regional Officeforsouthern Africa
(IUCN-ROSA) (Plot no. 14818 Lebatlane Road, Gaborone West, Extension 6 Gaborone, Botswana), underthe
terms of Grant No. 690-0283-A-00-5950. The opinions expressed herein are those ofthe authorsand do not
necessarily reflecttheviews of USAID, the GEF/UNDP, the SABONETSteering Committee or SABONET National
Working Groups.
IUCN
TheWorldConservationUnion
HIJII' GEF
IV
"Enter the 'stakeholder society':
consultation, transparency, corporate
governance, accountability and public
rights.
1, , 1 f ' „ lIf 1 t >rjf 1 > '' ( A-
These are today's new maxims.
new
Some are calling it the corporate
—
agenda and the 'triple bottom line'
integrating financial, social and
environmental responsibilities."
W.Visser. 2000. Opinion. Sinking roots intoethical ground of business.
SundayTimesBusiness TimesJune 18: 24.
v
outhern Afri Diversity
Indexherbarioruin:
southernAfricansupplement I
What? ’-ftfidjexherbarioruin:
soutnernAfrican
supplement
Inventory of *.Sc^)nd^^ition.
collections G<dco'«Si PEfiam.topberWilli
SouthernAfricanHerbarium
NeedsAssessment
Needs of
herbaria
Addressingtheneeds
ortheusersof
BotanicalInformation
Needs of
end-users
VI
1
Contents
List of Figures viii
List of Boxes and Tables viii
Acknowledgements.... ix
Additional Photo Credits ix
Forewords x
Abbreviations and Acronyms xi
Executive Summary xii
Introduction 1
The Challenging and Competitive Scientific and Fiscal Environmentfaced by Herbaria in the New Millen-
nium
1
General Background 4
Whatare Herbaria? 4
Main ProductsofTaxonomicWork 4
Who arethe End-UsersoftheWork Produced byTaxonomy and Herbaria? 5
The relevance of Herbaria andTaxonomicWork in southern Africa 1
Workshop Proceedings 12
TheWorkshopforStakeholdersand End-Usersof Botanical Information and Herbaria 12
Group Photograph 13
ListOfParticipants 14
BackgroundtotheWorkshop 17
Workshop Programme and Forms used at the Workshop 19
Outline Programme: 19
Detailed Programme: 20
Form 1: FUNCTIONS & USERSOF HERBARIA: 22
Form 2: INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS 22
Form 3: SERVICE REQUIREMENTS 23
Form 4: PRIORITIESAND QUANTIFYING COSTS: 23
Summaries of Presentations 24
ATRAINING HERBARIUM -Prof. Braam Van Wyk 24
Background 24
Servicesprovided byTraining Herbaria 24
THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM - Ms Marinda Koekemoer 25
Introduction 25
Staff 25
ActivitiesoftheNational Herbarium 26
SowhatmakestheNational Herbariumdifferentfromotherherbaria? 26
Obligations 26
Conclusion 26
THE LYDENBURG HERBARIUM (LYD)AN EXAMPLE OFACONSERVATION HERBARIUM-MsSonnette
Krynauw 27
Background 27
Capacity 27
Users 27
Functions 27
Problemsandshortcomings 27
THE BUFFELSKLOOF HERBARIUM -A PRIVATE HERBARIUM - MrJohn Burrows 28
Introduction 28
Thefutureoftheherbarium 28
Whatdowedo? 28
Conclusion 28
The Herbarium—Howdidwestart? 29
ObjectivesoftheBuffelskloofHerbarium 29
Whatdoweneed? 29
Main recommendationandconclusion 29
Summaries of discussions in Break-Away groups 30
FUNCTIONS OF HERBARIA 30
USERS OF HERBARIA 30
INFORMATION AND SERVICES REQUIRED BY END-USERSAND STAKEHOLDERS 30
DRIVERS PREVENTING HERBARIUM USE 31
DRIVERS FACILITATING HERBARIUM USE 31
NEEDS OF END-USERS PER STAKEHOLDER GROUP 32
vi
1
Workshop Outcomes: End-User Needs Assessment & Action Plan 36
SummaryofFinancial Implications of Prerequisitesand Assumptions 44
The Position Of The National Botanical Institute 45
Introduction 45
Vision and Mission 45
Challengesfaced bythe NBI in a StakeholderSociety 46
Strategic FocusAreasofthe NBI 47
Selected Initiativesand Focal Areasof Herbaria ofthe NBI earmarked forAttention from 2002to 2005 ..48
1.Acomprehensive information baseonthetaxonomyanddiversityofthesouthernAfricanflora 48
2. Regional Floras:unlockingthefloristicwealthofpriorityand neglectedareasofSouthAfrica 48
3. Moleculestotherescue:the DNALaboratory 48
4.Systematicsmadeeasyforthemasses: populartaxonomicpublications 49
5.SouthernAfrican Botanical DiversityNetwork(SABONET) 49
6.ServiceforEnvironmentalConservationofBiodiversityandforSUstainableDevelopment(SECOSUD) 49
7.GlobalTaxonomyInitiative 50
8.Comprehensivebotanical informationonthefloristicwealthofsouthernAfrica:aConciseFloraforthesubconti-
nent 50
9.TheNational Herbarium 50
10. Red Data Lists 50
11.TheplantsofAfrica 50
12. PRECIS(National Herbarium, Pretoria, (PRE)Computerised InformationSystem) 51
13.Theconservation, promotionanddevelopmentoftraditionallyused indigenousplants 51
Conclusion and Epilogue 52
Cited and Relevant Literature and Websites 54
List ofFigures
Fig 1. Numbersof museum natural science projectsfunded by FRD/NRF in 1992, 1996, 1999 and
2001 2
Fig 2. The numberof publications produced bystaffofthe NBI overthe last decade 2
Fig 3.Taxonomistatwork in herbarium 4
Fig 4. Databasing herbarium information 4
Fig 5. The oldest PRE-specimen-dated 1861 4
Fig 6. Pickled-preserved plant material injars 4
Fig 7. Special collection type: wood collection 4
Fig 8. Map ofsouthern Africa showing thecountriesthat participate in the SABONET project 1
List ofBoxes and Tables
Box 1. Ten largest herbaria in southern Africa 1
Box2. Ten largest herbaria inthe Southern Hemisphere 1
Box 3. Ten largest herbaria in theWorld 2
Box4. Potential users of botanical information 6
Box 5. Information and Service Requirementsof Botanical Gardens (byChrisWillis) 32
Box6. Detailed information requirementsof Botanical Gardens (by ChrisWillis) 32
Box 7. Detailed service requirementsof Botanical Gardens (byChrisWillis) 33
Box8. Howthe mission ofthe NBI will be achieved 46
Table 1. Summaryoffinancial needs xii
Table 2. Summaryofthe needsofthe end-usersof botanical information perstakeholder-group 34
Table 3. Workshop Outcomes: End-User NeedsAssessment &Action plan, including Information and Service
Requirements-Descriptions, Recommendations, And Priorities (End-User & Stakeholder Perspective),
Practical Implications and CostAssessment, andthe response ofthe NBI 36
Table4. Financial implicationsof prerequisitesand assumptions 44