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Date: January 20th, 2024
Time: 10AM Pacific Time (California)
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Didiereaceae of Madagascar
Considered as “The Cacti of the Old World”, plants in the Didiereaceae family were thought to be restricted to Madagascar, where the species are characteristic elements of the spiny forests in the southern part of the country. Based on molecular data, some taxonomists have recently moved the African genus Portulacaria into family Didiereaceae.
About our Speaker
Andry Petignat has dedicated himself protecting the flora of the spiny forest and raising awareness about this increasingly fragmented region.
He grew up and studied in Toliara, Madagascar, where his father founded the Antsokay Arboretum in the early 1980s. Since 2003, Andry has followed in his father’s footsteps by managing the arboretum. With over 900 species of plants in the collection, 90 percent of which are found only in spiny forests of southwest Madagascar, the arboretum is an important protection for the many endangered species it grows.
With the assistance of Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund grants, Andry and the arboretum implemented education initiatives, including creating an education center, developed activities for school children and teachers at the arboretum, and recruited qualified local educators and communicators to raise awareness about the importance of plant diversity and sustainable natural resources management. The arboretum is currently implementing a project to foster ecotourism, linking the private sector and local communities in the Toliara region.
Andry is the co-author of Baobabs of the World; Guide to the Succulent Plants of Southwest Madagascar; and Baobabs de Madagascar.
Recording
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Photo Credits: Andry Petignat portrait supplied by Andry
Alluaudia_Procera_Ifaty_Madagascar – Creative Commons Wikipedia – credit JialiangGao
Alluaudia_procera – Creative Commons Wikipedia – credit Jean-Louis Vandevivère
