Dr. M. Ahmedullah has a longstanding research experience of about 25 years in plant conservation. As an extension of his doctoral work he has been working on endemism in the flora of the Indian region and conservation of threatened plants. He is actively engaged in the Red Listing of the Indian plants. He has about sixty scientific publications, including an edited volume of the Red Data Book of Indian Plants that is slated for release later this year. His main focus on the professional front over the last seven years has been the establishment of the Botanic Garden of Indian Republic (BGIR), which is mandated for ex-situ conservation of endangered plants of the country.

Dr. Ahmedullah had served the ISPSG as Vice Chair for eight years and has assumed Chair of the Group recently. As Chair he has been engaged in the reconstituting process, revamping the group with necessary regional representation. The process warranted redefining the earlier programmes, setting new priorities, development of result-oriented projects and addressing major issues of fund raising. He hopes to develop a strong field assessment programme and towards this end he is strengthening the network by inducting a younger team of field botanists in a paradigm shift of focus from 'armchair conservation' to actual field-oriented conservation work.

The activities of the ISPSG, with the resultant information base, are planned to influence policy decisions and conservation/protected area management plans in the sub-continent.

“Recognizing that the scope of the national legislations needs to be widened to include critically endangered plants, the Group would sound the red alert on plants that are on the brink of extinction,” says Dr. Ahmedullah.

Other priorities of the Group include the development of Action Plans for the Top 50 threatened plants and for specific plant groups and recovery programmes for some prioritized threatened plants in fragile ecosystems. Habitat protection of certain endangered species with community involvement is also being cogitated upon.