The Papua New Guinea National Herbarium (LAE) contains more than 300,000 plant specimens from Papua New Guinea and other Papuasian countries. While duplicates from its collections have been shared to other herbaria around the world, the herbarium needs to advance the digitization process already initiated and distributed through the PNGplants Database.
This project aims to:
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Increase the number of digitized specimens with publically available data
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Identify and update undetermined specimens for further study and verification
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Capture high-resolution specimen images
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Develop distribution maps of threatened, endemic and rare species from Papua New Guinea
The project will involve three major institutions in the country: PNG Forest Research Institute, the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) Herbarium, and the Brass Memorial Herbarium at the Forestry Department, PNG University of Technology.
Herbarium collections held by UPNG and Brass Memorial Herbarium will be linked as part of the country's national plant collection in PNGplants.
