Botanical Research Institute of Texas and Papua New Guinea's National Forest Service Form
Research Collaboration
Expert in Sustainable Forest Management Martin B.Golman of Papua New Guinea's National Forest
Service Named BRIT Research Associate
December 5, 2000
Copyright 2000 PRNewswire, sourced from Botanical Research Institute of Texas
Press Release
FORT WORTH, Texas, Dec. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) and Papua New Guinea's National Forest Service (NFS) today announced that they have signed an agreement forming a collaboration to seek joint support for basic and applied research projects in botany and forestry.
Fort Worth-based BRIT is a nonprofit international botanical resource center open to the public. BRIT participates in broadly based international plant-science networks and programs involving botanic gardens, arboreta, herbaria, libraries, databases, and scientific publications. The NFS is Papua New Guinea's government agency that is responsible for the management of its forest resources.
As part of the agreement, Martin B. Golman, an expert in sustainable forest management and senior-ranking scientist (divisional manager) of the forest planning division of the NFS, has been named a research associate of BRIT, and the NFS has named Dr. Wayne Takeuchi of BRIT as a research associate of the NFS. Dr. Takeuchi is BRIT's resident project botanist in Papua New Guinea. The two scientists will have access to each other's facilities for collaborative work. The joint research projects will result in public education on the importance of the world's forests via publication of their findings.
As the eastern half of the world's largest tropical island, Papua New Guinea (PNG) represents less than 1% of the world's landmass but may contain 5% to 8% of its biodiversity. Some conservation leaders place the country among the world's 17 megadiversity nations. The size of the country's floristic inventory is estimated at 20,000 or more species. As one of only four tropical countries with large tracts of natural-growth forest, PNG still retains 70% of its primary forest cover.
``BRIT and the NFS have mutual interests, and with this agreement and these appointments we can enhance our abilities to fulfill our similar missions,'' said S. H. Sohmer, Ph.D., director of BRIT. ``Golman's addition to our research affiliate group opens up many possibilities for our research projects.''
BRIT's mission is to conserve our natural heritage by deepening our knowledge of the plant world and achieving public understanding of the value plants bring to life. With a collection of approximately one million dried plant specimens representing most of the earth's plant families, BRIT has one of the largest herbaria in the United States. It has the largest independent herbarium in the Southwest and one of the world's best collections of Texas plant specimens. Its botanical library houses more than 70,000 volumes of books, periodicals, and journals from more than 90 countries.
For more information about BRIT and its research projects, visit its Web site, http://www.brit.org, or call 817.332.4441 or Metro 817.429.3200.
SOURCE: Botanical Research Institute of Texas