Forums | HES 健康与环境科学

13 July 2023, 10:42 PM

Speaker: Prof Hong Liu

Time: 3:00-3:20pm

Location: ES 3F Common Room

Topic: Building resilient and effective networks for influencing conservation strategy

Abstract:

In this open discussion forum Prof. Liu will share her journey in science and the strategic path that allowed her to build resilient and effective networks, which helped influence conservation strategy. She will especially focus on orchids and other rare and endangered plant species that has been the focus of her research across Asia, the Caribbean and north America.

Speaker Bio:

Profile: https://case.fiu.edu/about/directory/profiles/liu-hong.html

Dr. Hong Liu is a tenured Professor in the Department of Earth and Environment, Florida International University (FIU). She is a conservation ecologist, and her research has a strong applied component. The goal of her research is to generate insights to guide endangered plant conservation and management efforts. Her current research addresses important environmental issues such as the impacts of global changes on rare orchid populations and conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of heavily exploited plant species. She has first authored or co-authored more than 80 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on these subjects. Dr. Liu’s research on wild orchid conservation has served to support various biodiversity conservation initiatives internationally. She facilitated the establishment of a national nature preserve to protect wild orchids in China. She led the organization of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Guangxi International Orchid Symposium, China, in May 2009, Oct 2010, and May 2012, in which events she promoted and facilitated dialogues among nature reserve managers, biodiversity researchers and policy makers. In particular, the 1st symposium successfully drew the attention of several key Chinese national biodiversity conservation officials to a remote yet important orchid-rich area and expedited the establishment of a national nature reserve, i.e. Guangxi Yachang Orchid National Nature Preserve. Together with colleagues, her research on the wild orchid trade in China, both online and off-line, generated important quantitative data for the region. She was able to tie her research on the wild orchid trade to the Red List assessment of Chinese orchids, pointing out significant underestimation of threat to Chinese orchids from unregulated trade. She also engaged in the critical revision process of the List of National Key Protected Wild Plants of China, a list similar to the US Federal Endangered Species. She has served as a member of the IUCN SSC Orchid Specialist Group since 2010 and the wild orchid trade subgroup since 2016, under the IUCN umbrella.