partner organisations
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
RBGE's mission is to explore and explain the world of plants. It carries this out through
an international programme of collaborative research in plant taxonomy, systematics and conservation biology
in more than 40 countries, and an extensive programme of formal and informal education activities
(including M.Sc. and Ph.D. programmes).
RGBE maintains and develops extensive living and preserved plant collections, with China and the Himalaya
forming one of the specialities. The Herbarium (E) houses over 2 million specimens spanning over 330 years,
and is rich in important historic collections.
RBGE recently completed the publication of Flora of Bhutan, and is the lead
organisation for the Flora of Nepal project.
Contact: Prof. S. Blackmore, Regius Keeper
20a Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, EH3 5LR, Scotland, U.K. Tel: +44 (0)131 5527171,
Fax: +44 (0)131 2482901
www.rbge.ac.uk
Royal Nepal Academy of Science and Technology
RONAST, founded in 1982, envisages the advancement of science and technology (S&T) for all-round development of Nepal; improvement and promotion of indigenous technologies; promotion of S&T research; identification and facilitation of appropriate technology transfer. Specific functions of RONAST are: to conduct and promote research in priority S&T areas; implement S&T programs in collaboration with national and international organizations; establish a national information system in S&T; assist and facilitate S&T publications; promote and develop links with regional and international institutions and encourage mutual cooperation; provide financial and technical assistance to establish and develop new S&T institutions/ laboratories. RONAST is coordinating the in-country efforts for the Flora of Nepal.
Contact: Prof. D. Bajracharya, Vice-Chancellor, RONAST
Khumaltar, Laltipur, P.O. Box 3323, Kathmandu, Nepal. Tel: +997 1 5547720, 5547714, Fax: +997 1 5547713
www.ronast.org.np
Department of Plant Resources
HM Government, Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation
DPR was established in 1960 (as the Department of Medicinal Plants), and is responsible
for providing research and development services on the plant resources of Nepal. Amongst
many research, planning, management and development activities, DPR maintains and develops
the living plant collections in Botanical Gardens around Nepal (notably the National Botanic
Garden at Godawari) and the preserved plant specimens in the National Herbarium.
The National Herbarium (KATH), part of the National Herbarium and Plant Laboratories at
Godawari, houses over 150,000 plant specimens and is the largest herbarium in Nepal.
DPR has been conducting floristic surveys of Nepal for over 40 years, and is one of the major
collaborators on the Flora of Nepal project.
Contact: Dr U.R. Sharma, Director General, DPR
Thapathali, P.O. Box 2270, Kathmandu, Nepal. Tel: +997 1 4251161, Fax: +997 1 4251141
www.biodiv-nepal.gov.np
Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan
University
CBD-TU was established in 1965, and is the primary institute for higher education in botany
in Nepal. The aim of the Department is to produce highly qualified botanists who have a broad knowledge of
classical as well as modern and applied plant science. CBD-TU also undertakes
fundamental and applied research in a wide range of plant science disciplines, including
fieldwork to explore Nepal's floristic wealth and ecology. The Department runs a two-year M.Sc.
in botany (annual intake 70 students, in Year I), special paper in Plant Systematics (annual intake
12 students, year II)and has an active Ph.D. programme.
The Department's hebarium (TUCH) houses about 20,000 specimens, and is the
second largest in Nepal. CDB-TU is one of the major collaborators on the Flora of Nepal project.
Contact: Prof. P.K. Jha, Head Central Department of Botany
Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal. Tel: +997 1 433 1322, 4333515, Fax: +997 1 4332636
www.tribhuvan-university.edu.np