Plants of Ethiopia with the different university departments, research institutions and NGOs present in the country (Asmara, Mekelle, Alemaya, Jimma, Debub, Addis Abeba, Gonder, Bahrdar, Arba Minch, Nazareth, Wondo Genet, IBRC, EWNHS, WWF), as well as international researchers working in plant conservation in the area. The kick-start events to establish this network will be the training seminars to be delivered in two universities at the end of the project, to draw interest in students and lecturers on plant conservation in both countries. Provisionally, this national network will be chaired by Dr Ensermu Kelbessa, and it will have as first output to provide inputs (review and validation) for the Species Profiles of the Endemic Plants. This first goal will serve as a triggering exercise for this network, and the Network can later on, based on the experienced acquired, to prepare an initiative to elaborate the complete Red List of Plants of Ethiopia and Eritrea (including Pteridofites and rare but not endemic plants). Some members of this Conservation Network will also be part of the IUCN/SSC East Africa Plant Specialist Group. 11.- INPUTS REQUESTED 11.1.- PERSONNEL The principal researcher and team leader will be Dr Ensermu Kelbessa, curator of the National Herbarium and lecturer of the Addis Ababa University. He will be based in Addis Ababa and he will be working part-time in this project (see CV attached). The second researcher will be Jose Luis Vivero, working part-time throughout the year, and full time two weeks in Ethiopia: one week at the beginning of the project to train the researchers on SIS DEM management and IUCN Red List requirements, and another week to prepare and attend the National Workshop. He will provide technical backstopping to the project, supervising the fund raising activities and being in charge of publishing activities outside Ethiopia (see CV attached). No funds will be assigned to pay his part-time contribution, but travel costs will be covered by the project. Two research assistants (national MSc graduates) will be working full time (one 10 moths and another 8), and they will carry out the herbarium and bibliography data collection, prepare the field trips, summarising the information needed and entering the data in the SIS DEM database. They will also determine precisely the point data (coordinates) for all localities (to provide accurate information to the mapping specialist). One GIS/mapping specialist: This young specialist will be working full time for three months, mainly at the end of the project to prepare the maps of the species´ distribution ranges. He will produce full-color extension maps for each species with proper legends and quantitative data about range surface. One PhD graduate researcher (Dr Jamie Gordon of Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden) will be working part-time in this initiative, supporting data collection, analysing conservation status, and backstopping the mapping exercise. Funds to support his work will come directly from Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden and thus they are not included in the budget. 11.2.- TRAVEL Updated field information for most threatened plants is deemed essential to evaluate their “real” distribution and conservation status. Botanical field work has been very restricted and seldom in Ethiopia, and it is of utmost importance to check the likely extinction of more than 15 plants and to undertake botanical collections of some areas never explored to science. It is planned 20 field days for two people during the project., 10 days of visits for one person to different institutions and herbaria within the country and 10 days for the one-week modules in two universities. Due to long distances incurred in many trips within Ethiopia, and considering the affordable price for nationals of well-served local flights and the risk
Conservation International
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Conservation Status of Endemic Plants of Ethiopia