Today's Flora for Tomorrow (Madagascar)

The biodiversity crisis is one of the most urgent global challenges, threatening ecosystems, livelihoods, and long‑term sustainability. To protect nature effectively, we must first understand it. Yet many plant and fungal species remain poorly known or unnamed, and gaps in taxonomic knowledge hinder conservation, sustainable use, and environmental planning.

In Kew Science, we aim to address this problem by creating faster, more reliable ways to identify plant and fungal species. The Today’s Flora for Tomorrow project is a key part of this effort, tackling the urgent need for accessible, high‑quality biodiversity information—especially for Madagascar, one of the world’s most threatened biodiversity hotspots.

To drive change, the project is digitising and making available thousands of preserved botanical specimens held at Kew and at the Parc Botanique et Zoologique de Tsimbazaza (PBZT). This work provides open access to critical data for researchers, conservationists, and decision-makers. The team is also conducting IUCN Red List assessments to support evidence‑based conservation action, with a current focus on species from the Itremo Massif Protected Area. Field expeditions to understudied regions are generating new biodiversity data to fill longstanding knowledge gaps.

A major component of the project is capacity building. By training emerging Malagasy experts in plant and fungal taxonomy, the project strengthens long‑term national capability for biodiversity conservation. This includes pioneering fungal research by postdoctoral researcher Anna Ralaiveloarisoa, as well as three PhD projects on orchids, sedges, and succulent plants.

Ultimately, the project aims to accelerate species description and identification, inform conservation priorities, and build lasting scientific expertise in Madagascar—ensuring that today’s biodiversity knowledge becomes tomorrow’s foundation for protecting and restoring nature.