Volume 4 No. 2 ISSN 1027–4286 August 1999
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Volume 4 No. 2 ISSN 1027–4286 August 1999 | IN THIS ISSUE | EditorialEditorialEditorial 828282 PPPrrrofile: Moffat Setshogo 838383 How to write articles for publication (6) 868686 7th S7th SSC in Siavonga 888888 SABSABSABONET Report Series No. 6 published 898989 Miombo Woodlands Training Course 929292 Update on the inventory of taxonomic experts on southern AAAfrican plants 969696 FFFrrrom the Wom Webebeb 979797 ObituarObituarObituary: Py: Peter Smith 103103103 ObituarObituarObituary: Hugh Ty: Taylorayloraylor 105 ThrThrThreatened knowledge in southern Africa ... some thoughts 106106106 A Plant Red Data List for southern Africafricafrica 111 SABSABSABONET Nyika Expedition 118118118 The genus PPPeperepereperomiaomiaomia in southern Africa: the final words? 124124124 PPPiperaceae in southern Africa: a very brief summaryyy 125125125 Some notes on Linnean typification 127127127 PPPostgraduates supported by SABONETONETONET 131131131 Index herbariorum: southern African supplement 136136136 The PThe Paper Chase 140140140 Sehlabathebe National Park-Lesotho’s Mountain Paradisearadisearadise 147147147 E-mail addressesessesesses 159159159 Regional News Update 166166166 FRONT COVER: Course participants and resource persons who attended SABONET’s Miombo Woodland Course, Zambia, during May/June 1999. they may not know about or have access to. Thanks to all those individuals who have, over the past three years (this issue also celebrates the third year of the newsletter—the first issue was published in August 1996) since this newsletter started, provided encouragement and complimented us on our project newsletter. We shall continue to strive to make it informative, interesting and useful to our readers. If you have any suggestions for future articles or any Editorial other changes, we would like to hear from you. Welcome to the tenth edition of SABONET News, the Apart from our regular features such as Profile, How official newsletter of the Southern African Botanical to write articles for publication, From the Web, The Diversity Network, more commonly known as Paper Chase, E-mail addresses and Regional News SABONET. We regard this tenth issue as a Update, we have included a variety of additional milestone in the brief history of the project. We hope news items in this issue. These range from the the newsletter is still serving its originally intended Sehlabathebe National Park and Herbarium, the purpose—that of keeping botanists world-wide proposed Southern African Red Data List, Linnean informed of past and on-going activities within this typification, Piperaceae, SABONET’s postgraduate ten-country southern African capacity-building students, as well as notice of SABONET’s proposed project, and keeping southern African botanists, Nyika Plant Collecting Expedition scheduled for specifically, up to date with recent literature which March/April 2000. 82 SABONET News Vol. 4 No. 2 August 1999 We regret to announce, since the last edition of our newsletter was published, the passing of two of our PROFILE region’s well-known and respected botanists: Peter Smith from Botswana and Hugh Taylor from South Moffat Setshogo Africa. Each was an expert in his own respective vegetation type, Peter Smith on the aquatic and wetland plants of Botswana, and Hugh Taylor on the fynbos. Peter Smith will be remembered by several young botanists from around southern Africa who had the privilege of sharing some quality time with him in the Okavango during the SABONET-hosted Aquatic Plants Training Course held during March/ April 1998 (see SABONET News 3(2): 58-62, 1998). Peter made a significant and lasting contribution to southern African botany by donating his private collection of over 5 000 herbarium specimens to the Harry Oppenheimer Okavango Research Centre (HOORC)(see SABONET News 1(2): 4, 1996). Both Hugh and Peter shall be missed. Their sad passing prompted me to write an article about “threatened knowledge”, which I hope will stimulate some debate and subsequent action in this area. We have also included a report on SABONET’s recently hosted Miombo Woodlands Training Course, which was held at the Copperbelt University in Kitwe, Zambia from 31 May to 11 June 1999. Many thanks to the local organisers and the resource persons for their patience, understanding and hard ▲ Dr Moffat Setshogo attending SABONET’s work. Announcements of three forthcoming Pteridophyte Identification Course, Zomba, meetings that will be of interest to southern Africa’s Malawi, November 1997. botanists have also been included—the annual Southern African Herbarium Working Group r Moffat Pinkie Setshogo was born on 15 (October 1999) and South African Association of DSeptember 1963 in Molepolole, Botswana. Botanists (January 2000) meetings, both scheduled The village of Molepolole is 50 km west of the to be held at the Potchefstroom University for capital city, Gaborone, and is the headquarters of C.H.E., South Africa, and AETFAT 2000 planned to the Bakwena tribe (“People of the Crocodile”). He be held in Meise, Belgium, during August/September grew up here and attended Sebele I School and 2000. Kgari Sechele II Secondary School. He obtained his O-levels in 1982, and was admitted to the The submission deadline for the December 1999 University of Botswana (UB) Pre-Entry Science edition of SABONET News, the last one of this Course (PESC) in January 1983. In August 1983, millennium, is 12 November 1999. In that issue we he enrolled for a BSc at UB, which he completed plan to include some perspectives from the region’s in 1987. He majored in Biology and Environmen- botanists on the challenges facing southern African tal Science. His final year dissertation was on “Net botany in the new millennium. ❑❑❑ primary production of Eragrostis stapfii De Winter in the UB Nature Reserve”. Christopher Willis SABONET Coordinator On finishing his BSc, Moffat had an option of 27 July 1999 either becoming a research biologist with the SABONET News Vol. 4 No. 2 August 1999 83 Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) or a science teacher with the then Unified Teaching Service (UTS). Having grown up in a family of teachers, the influence to go into teaching overwhelmed that of going into research, though he had a liking for it. As a result of this choice he registered for a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) in August 1987 and completed it in May 1988. While doing the PGDE, he was recruited for the Staff Development Fellow Programme (SDF) of the University of Botswana to follow a teaching and research profession in Plant Taxonomy. ▲ Dr Moffat Setshogo at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in 1996 (Photo: Rezia Khatun). Moffat’s interest in taxonomy stems from his love for nature, or rather his appreciation Arachis spinaclava nomen nudum”, under the of biodiversity, since his early years. As a young supervision of Dr Barbara Pickersgill. boy, during the school holidays, he always went out hunting birds (with a catapult) with his peers On returning to Botswana in September 1990, he and was fascinated by the diversity of birds and was promoted to the lecturer cadre. He taught two other animals that existed. He knew almost all the undergraduate courses, Plant Diversity and birds by their Setswana names, something that he Angiosperm Taxonomy. recalls nostalgically. During the ploughing season, youngsters usually gathered around a fire in the The late 1980s were characterised by the establish- evenings and elders would recite taboos and myths ment of Remote Area Dweller Settlements associated with plants. Flimsy or no explanations (RADS) by the government of Botswana. This was were usually given for these taboos. For instance, and still is a controversial scheme of trying to one would be told that it was a taboo to fell certain resettle nomadic tribes, particularly Basarwa, into trees during the rainy season or else the rains specially designed settlements where they are would not come. This dissatisfaction with the supposedly to be served with amenities to improve answers given was imprinted in Moffat’s mind and their living standards. Going hand in hand with was to strengthen his quest to learn more about this scheme was the commissioning of studies to plants to unravel these mysteries. Similarly, as gather baseline data on natural resources around with birds and other animals, his interest in plants these settlements to establish the resource base of started with the ability to tell them apart by names. the areas. Moffat was a member of a multi-disci- This interest in nomenclature has stayed with plinary team that carried out these studies around Moffat up to the present, and he is presently the settlements of Tshokwe (Central District) and compiling Setswana names of plants with the hope Diphuduhudu (Kweneng District), which were of coming up with a publication in the near future. completed in 1992. After a year as a Staff Development Fellow, In September 1993, Moffat went to the University Moffat transferred to do a MSc in Applied Plant of Edinburgh, Scotland, for his doctoral studies, and Fungal Taxonomy at the University of Read- which he duly completed in March 1997. His ing, UK, in September 1989, which he success- project was entitled “Taxonomic studies and fully completed in 1990. His thesis was entitled generic delimitation in the grass subtribe, “Breeding behaviour and reproductive biology of Sorghinae”. He worked under the supervision of 84 SABONET News Vol. 4 No. 2 August 1999 Dr Philip Smith. It was Dr Smith who inculcated • Inventory of useful indigenous plants of the love for grasses into Moffat. Grasses have Botswana (funded by UB) become his passion and his main dream is to one • Rangeland and livelihood dynamics in the day come up with a “Guide to the Grasses of Matsheng area, Botswana (funded by EC) Botswana”. • Natural resources availability and utilisation in remote area settlements in the Tutume sub- While in Edinburgh, Moffat had the privilege of district: the case of Manxotae and Mabesekwa meeting Mr Bill Burtt at the Royal Botanic Gar- (funded by NUFU) dens, Edinburgh.