Relevance and Factors Affecting Exchange of Plant Material and Data to Conservation

Abstract

The study examined the way African and European botanic institutions exchanged plant material and data. With the aim of assessing the relevance and factors affecting exchange of plant material and data to conservation between African and European botanical institutions, the study focused on the nature of exchange and how it is being conducted, the opportunities and constraints to the exchange, and the benefits arising from the exchange in support of biodiversity conservation. To achieve the above, the study adopted a cross sectional survey and used both qualitative and quantitative approaches to gather and analyse the data. Questionnaires were used to gather information from key informant respondents. Plant material exchange records for ten years (2010-2020) were retrieved from the Index Seminum database and individual institutional records. The study found that, a large number of botanic institutions are exchanging plant material and data in a formalised manner. This exchange, however, was greater in the European region than in the African region. Similarly, when compared to their African counterparts, European institutions shared the biggest proportion of material at a very frequent rate. As a result, both the sending and receiving of plant materials and data was dominated by the European region. Bureaucratic exchange procedures at the national and institutional levels are substantially limiting the exchange. Nonetheless, institutions participating in the exchange have reaped considerable financial and non-monetary benefits, including access to technology, infrastructure, and the sharing of invaluable knowledge for conservation-related applications. While many institutions are eager to share materials for conservation, it has been determined that only a small part of the material transmitted is used to directly conserve biodiversity. The findings also demonstrate that developing a digital platform for plant material and data exchange will have a considerable influence on not only the quantity of materials shared, but also overall exchange engagement. As a result, the study suggests that more African institutions be drawn into the exchange, particularly through IPEN enrolment and purposeful support from European institutions through increased collaboration, training and funding.