Abstract:

Background & Aims: As the first overseas national flora project fully founded by Chinese Academy of Sciences, Flora of Kenya is a collaborative project organized by Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences and National Museum of Kenya, involving more than 180 researchers from over 20 institutions. The project aims to systematically document over 7,000 species of vascular plants in Kenya, with a total of 31 planned volumes. 

Review Results: Following a “co-compilation and joint publication” model, the project has organized and conducted over 60 joint Sino-Kenyan field expeditions, collected more than 12,000 numbers of specimens, discovered and published 22 new species (one variety included), and completed two volumes—Rubiaceae and Orchidaceae, successively. The achievement has been recognized by the current Kenyan President William Ruto as “an important contribution to biodiversity conservation”. Notably, the Orchidaceae volume was presented as a national gift to the Kenyan President, symbolizing a flagship outcome of China-Africa scientific cooperation. 

Conclusion: Through technology transfer, knowledge sharing, and capacity building, the project establishes a new paradigm for South-South cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, enhancing China’s leadership role in global biodiversity research and conservation.

Key words: biodiversity, plant taxonomy, flora, Africa, international cooperation