As a biodiversity hotspot, Vietnam is one of the countries with the highest number of species in the World. Vietnamese researchers are working in an international setting to record this diversity in order to preserve this unique natural heritage for society and and the World, but also to be able to use it sustainably in the long term. They are actively supported by the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin through training using modern equipment and methods of biodiversity research – from data management to digitisation and DNA analysis.
Within the framework of the BMBF-funded project VIETBIO, twelve Vietnamese scientists have been in Berlin since the end of August, undergoing focused training in several thematic modules, at the Museum für Naturkunde for zoology and at the Botanic Garden and Museum for botany. The equipment used and acquired within the framework of VIETBIO will be handed over to the four Vietnamese partner institutes at the end of the year so that the colleagues can continue to work with it at home base.
This three-month laboratory phase was preceded by a joint two-week test phase in the field in Vietnam. Samples were collected and recording methods were tested under field conditions on site. All participants are highly motivated and enthusiastic, not least because they are finally able to work together again and gain valuable practical experience after a break of more than two years due to corona. The long and successful cooperation of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin with partner institutions in Vietnam and other countries in South East Asia is hereby further strengthened.
Credits: Bernhard Schurian, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin