EN - Educational (Strategic Plan) - Flipbook - Page 26
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RARE AFRICAN ORCHIDS
REVEAL WORLD FIRST
First clear case of a plant sexually deceiving a beetle found in
near-extinct Disa forficaria orchid.
This is the result of work by Dr Callan
Cohen, from the FitzPatrick Institute
of African Ornithology, who made the
discovery alongside a team of local and
international researchers.
Disa forficaria was last seen in 1966. Only
11 of these plants have been found in the
last 200 years, making it one of the rarest
plants in the world.
While monitoring a newly blossomed Disa
forficaria, Cohen discovered what was to
become the first clear case of a plant sexually
deceiving a beetle. With further research,
an entirely new chemical system has been
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identified in the rare plant’s deception.
But that’s not all. The scientists also revealed
that some of the orchid-pollinating beetles
were carrying pollen from at least two other
Disa plants, proving the plant is not extinct.
Now, the researchers are pioneering the
process of using pollination to survey for the
presence of critically endangered plants.
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HOW TO ADDRESS THE
COMPLEXITY OF CLIMATE CHANGE
Global team presents a framework for considering how drivers of risk
interact in climate action.
Led by researchers from the Africa Climate
and Development Initiative (ACDI), the
team of 21 scholars presented a framework
for better understanding and informing
decision-making around climate change
risks in Africa and globally.
Published in the journal One Earth, it builds
on existing risk frameworks, with the hope
that the guidelines can help decision-makers,
managers and researchers understand the
inherent complexity of climate change.
“This is important because policymakers
may worry about the risk of implementing a
response as much, or more so, than the risk
the response aims to reduce,” said Dr Nick
Simpson, the lead author of the paper and a
postdoctoral fellow at the ACDI.
“This can lead to inaction, at the very time
when we need to be most active and investing
heavily in our response to climate change.”
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