Laboratory of Plant Systematics and Biodiversity
Conservatory & Botanical Garden of the City of Geneva

Dr. Fred Stauffer

Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques (CJB)
Chemin de l’Impératrice 1

1292 Chambésy 
Genève
Tel. 022 418 51 65

This master project aims to undertake modern botanical and ethnobotanical surveys on two localities of the West African country of Senegal. The project relies on fieldwork in two selected regions representing highly contrasted ecological and vegetation areas. One area corresponds to the semidry and moderately hilly lowlands (Bedik country) and the second the lowland formations of the highly diverse area of the Upper Guinean forest (Casamance).

The approach includes the inventory of all native and introduced plants associated to traditional food uses, and the taxonomic identification, common names and uses of all food plants present in these areas. Working methodologies also include the collection of herbarium samples that will be stored in the herbarium of the Faculty of Science at the University Anta-Diop (Dakar, Senegal), with several duplicates deposited in the Herbarium of Geneva.

This project is framed in a larger initiative including an international team of archeologists, zoologists and botanists and therefore benefits of interdisciplinary expertise. Funding for field work and presentation of conferences in international congresses is already guaranteed.

Time frame 1.5 years
Starting early 2020