[Updated August 2025] Supported by funding from Franklinia Foundation, Dr Joeri Sergej Strijk (ACTG) and Morton Arboretum will lead a 3-year project and oversee conservation action and research in one of IndoChina’s last remaining and largest forest blocks, with the aim to cultivate and conserve ten threatened species of Fagaceae in Laos and Vietnam. With regional project partners from Laos ( IRD, and the Life Science Research Centre, (Science and Innovation Research Institute, Lao Ministry of Education and Sports)) and Vietnam (Dalat University and VNUF), we will map populations of threatened species in protected areas, undertake seed collecting for off site propagation in nurseries, and then conduct replanting to strengthen in-situ populations. Our project includes training workshops on identification and propagation for students and staff from NGOs and key stakeholders in the region. We will also strengthen public awareness through joint tree-planting activities with local schools and communities, and public and online seminars to share botanical and propagation knowledge with as many people as possible. We would like to acknowledge the Franklinia Foundation for providing foundational support and funding for our project and vital tree conservation activities in the region. ACTG would also like to recognize Morton Arboretum for providing important logistical support for this project. Finally, we are very grateful to the Nakai Nam Theun National Park administration and NTPC authority for hosting and supporting our project in their areas.
Major project milestones:
Mapping of Mother trees (2025, 2026, 2027)
Nursery construction (2025, 2026)
Identification and Germination workshops (2025, 2025, 2025)
Seed collecting and Nursery Germination/Cultivation (2025-2027)
Conservation Action Planning Workshops (2026, 2026)
Site assessments and Replanting activities (2026-2027)
Community and School Tree planting days (2027)
Local and Online dissemination of Conservation, Germination and Cultivation knowledge (2025-2027)
