STORY: Kenyan, Chinese scientists launch Kenya's 1st national publication documenting plant species
DATELINE: Sept. 26, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:32
LOCATION: Nairobi
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the seminar
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): MARY GIKUNGU, Director-general of National Museums of Kenya
3. various of the seminar
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): HUANG GUOBIN, Board Chairman of Hubei Changjiang Publishing & Media Group
5. various of the seminar

STORYLINE:

Scientists from China and Kenya on Monday launched a volume of the Flora of Kenya in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, marking the publication of Kenya's first national flora and filling the gap in the field of plant resources research in the country.

The Flora of Kenya, which is divided into 31 volumes, will document the East African nation's nearly 7,000 plant species from 223 families.

The 23rd volume, "Rubiaceae," is the first part of the project that was officially published Monday by Hubei Science and Technology Press and the East African Natural History Society.

It is a collaborative research venture involving scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Sino-Africa Joint Research Center (SAJOREC) and the National Museums of Kenya.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): MARY GIKUNGU, Director-general of National Museums of Kenya
"The book that we have launched today, the Flora of Kenya, is a very important book. If we do not conserve what we have, and also document it, we are not able to pass it on to the next generation. So this particular book is very, very important, because it provides the identity of the flora of Kenya, remember people may not be able to conserve what they don't know, and what they have not put value in, so this important book talks about very important plant species that we need to conserve in our environment."

Through collaboration with China, the National Museums of Kenya has been able to build the capacity of its researchers to promote habitat conservation at the grassroots level, Gikungu stressed.

Huang Guobin, chairman of Hubei Changjiang Publishing and Media Group, the parent company of Hubei Science and Technology Press, said the publication of the Flora of Kenya is a new starting point.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): HUANG GUOBIN, Board Chairman of Hubei Changjiang Publishing & Media Group
"The Flora of Kenya is the result of cooperation between the two countries' top scientific research institutions and top scientists. A total of 31 volumes are planned. This work is of great significance to the investigation of Kenya's natural resources and plant resources, the collection and arrangement of data, the protection of biodiversity, and the sustainable use of natural resources. This book is not only important for Kenya, but also for plant protection in Africa, and for future scientific and technological cooperation between China and Africa."

Launched in 2015, the Flora of Kenya research project involved numerous field trips across the country to collect and identify a large number of plant specimens and take pictures of thousands of plants.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Nairobi.
(XHTV)