Among Madagascar's precious woods, species in the Sapotaceae family are particularly endangered.
Valued by humans for the mechanical and aesthetic qualities of their wood, they are threatened not only by deforestation, but also by selective logging in the heart of the forests, including in protected areas.
But how can we protect species that we know so little about?
For the past ten years or so, the Geneva Botanical Garden has been using molecular genetics to try and get a clearer picture of the classification of this family. The results have been surprising: two new genera have been added to the ten or so already known, and there are as many new species as there are known species.
All species protection initiatives are based on scientific names. If we don't want to irrevocaby lose half of Madagascar's Sapotaceae species, we urgently need to define, describe and name them. We are in a race against time.
This lecture is part of the Geneva Botanical Garden's "Conférences au vert" series.

On Thursdays from 6pm to 7.30pm, immerse yourself in the green atmosphere of the iconic Temperate Greenhouse, a picturesque setting for botanical lectures in total immersion! Renowned guests or in-house staff will share their knowledge with you and open up the debate.
Free to all, no registration required.