Participants from the ASEAN region during the 10-day Training on the Taxonomy of High Elevation Vascular Plants in Doi Inthanon National Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand
© ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity

“Using the knowledge and skills I obtained from the training, I plan to assess the plants in Lao PDR, especially those in Nam Ha National Protected Area, Himnamno National Park, and Namtading National Park. Using the knowledge gained from the workshop, I will collect plant specimens for our herbarium at the National University of Laos, which at present, has more than 5,000 specimens. I continuously keep in touch with my co-trainees, share experiences, and request for references, especially the course outline for Botany and Taxonomy offered in other countries, including the topics required in the courses.” – Phetlasy Souladeth, National University of Laos, Lao PDR

“The training was relevant to my work at the Marine Park. It was well-organized. It was a mix of classroom lectures and hands-on training. The mini-project attracted me a lot.” – Mohammed Nizam Bin Ismail, Department of Marine Park Malaysia, Malaysia

“We are in the process of preparing a similar guidebook for plants in national parks in Sarawak. Preparing the guidebook together with other participants that are not from the same botany background was very interesting. They helped to capture interesting plant characters that are often overlooked by the botanists/taxonomists and they also assisted in reducing botanical terminologies used in describing the plants.” – Julia Sang, Sarawak Forestry Corporation, Malaysia

Taxonomists and park management staff from the ASEAN region at the Training Workshop on Biodiversity Assessment Methodologies, Data Gathering and Communication, Education and Public Awareness for Park Management Staff, Gunung Mulu, National Park, Malaysia
© ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity

“The information I learned from the training activities are very useful in my work and studies since I am pursuing my graduate studies in Systematics. As a result of the training program, graduate and undergraduate students of the Biology Department of Central Mindanao University and Research Assistants were trained on the basic taxonomic identification and classification of pteridophytes (ferns and lycophytes) and bryophytes using the taxonomic keys and books provided during the training workshop in Bali, Indonesia and Chiang Mai, Thailand. The training also allowed me to build friendships, connections, and linkages with other nationalities for potential collaboration and/or consultation in the future.” – Fulgent P. Coritico, Central Mindanao University, Philippines

“The most memorable part of the trip was the ‘moss race,’ which Dr. Benito Tan especially organized to make the training more interesting. This saw us working in groups to collect as many species as possible per locality visited and then identifying these back at the laboratory. This experience trained my eyes for detail, and also provided an opportunity to be acquainted with the different species of bryophytes. To our surprise, our group won second prize.” – Woo Pui Min Henrietta, National Parks Board, Singapore