Betti Jean Lagarde

Since its creation between the years 1948 - 1950, the main mission of the National Herbarium of Cameroon (YA) has been floristic research for the knowledge generation and dissemination of the flora and vegetation of Cameroon. YA has as vision to Participate in the emergence of Cameroon by 2035, through resilient and optimal management of its biodiversity. Various missions can be assigned to YA, among others: (1) Increase the collections of the National Herbarium (from 70,000.0 samples now to 140,000.0 by 2035; (2) Increase and update the publications of the volumes of the Flore du Cameroun; (3) Update the phytogeographic map of Cameroon; (4) Support the various technical administrations of Cameroon including Forests and Wildlife (MINFOF), Environment and Suatainable development (MINEPDED), Agriculture (MINADER) in the missions of control and sustainable and more profitable management of biodiversity. Since our appointment in July as the Head of YA, we proposed an action plan with three specific objectives including (1) to strengthen the self-financing capacities of the YA so as to reach the point of resilience, which will allow management less dependent on state support and subsidies; (2) increase knowledge and collections on biodiversity and tools for sustainable and more profitable management; (3) ensure the visibility of the YA and staff development through rigorous discipline and various motivations. These objectives have been distinguished into six (06) expected results distributed in twenty (20) activities. These activities will be carried out by a multidisciplinary team distinguished in seven (07) Operational Units (OU) including: (1) Systematics/botany/taxonomy, (2) Phytogeography and Phytosociology, (3) geomatics and climate change, (4) flora-fauna relationships , (5) Forensics and control (6) Ethnobiology and mechanisms for equitable benefits sharing , (7) forestry, seed bank, planning and landscapes management.