Vahinala Project: A Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Madagascar

马达加斯加这个岛国拥有非凡的动植物群，充分证明了它作为全球公认的生物多样性保护重点的地位。然而，马达加斯加植物区系的目录、描述和文献仍然很不完整。在过去的25年里，植物分类研究的复兴表明，马达加斯加真正的植物多样性被严重低估了。为了应对这种动态的环境，以其异常高的新物种发现率，密苏里植物园及其合作伙伴启动了瓦希纳拉项目：马达加斯加维管植物目录。该项目的目的是为不同的用户群体创建一个方便的、最新的和权威的马达加斯加植物在线合成，并通过eFloras网站提供有关植物区系的所有信息。完成的目录将为《生命百科全书》提供大约11,000种马达加斯加特有植物的物种页面。丰富的数字内容，包括图像和扫描文献，将有助于识别和未来的研究。通过创建一个全面的、可获取的马达加斯加植物资源，瓦希纳拉项目将直接为国家和国际保护马达加斯加的努力做出贡献。我们的自然资源，可持续发展的最终关键。

The island nation of Madagascar harbors a remarkable flora and fauna, amply justifying its status as a globally recognized priority for biodiversity conservation. However, the inventory, description, and documentation of the Malagasy flora are still very far from complete. A renaissance of taxonomic studies on the flora over the past 25 years has revealed that the true plant diversity of Madagascar has been grossly underestimated. To respond to this dynamic environment, with its exceptionally high rate of new species discovery, the Missouri Botanical Garden and its partners have launched the Vahinala Project: A Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Madagascar. The aim of the project is to create an expedient, up-to-date and authoritative online synthesis of the plants of Madagascar for a diverse group of users, making all information on the flora available through the eFloras Website.The completed Catalogue will provide Species Pages for the Encyclopedia of Life for the ca. 11,000 plant species endemic to Madagascar. Rich digital content, including images and scanned literature, will facilitate identification and future research. By creating a comprehensive, accessible source on the plants of Madagascar, the Vahinala Project will directly contribute to national and international efforts to conserve Madagascar?s natural resources, the ultimate key to sustainable development.