It's just the beginning, it's the end!

Unique Pan Himalayan

Do the highest level of flora

For Wang Qiang, he has devoted himself to this project almost whole-heartedly over the years, and he spends half of the time in the field in a year
.
The highest altitude of vascular plants is about 6,500 meters.
Wang Qiang, who has visited the Himalayas more than 20 times, has no difficulty in carrying out investigation work at an altitude of 6,000 meters
.
Due to prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light, he was also known as the "Himalayan Little Black Brother"
.

In 2016, Wang Qiang spent a year visiting various herbariums in the UK, looking at all the labiata, Platycodonaceae and Verbena plant specimens that could be found in the Pan-Himalayan region
.

Taxonomists put so much effort into compiling this set of flora because they have a high demand for quality
.
Hong Deyuan explained that the Flora of the Pan-Himalayan is different from the existing flora.
In addition to the general flora, it also includes specimen citations, distribution maps, textual research and discussion of type specimens,
etc.
Researchers should apply research methods and data such as molecular systematics, phylogenetic genomics, concepts and methods of population biology, and statistical analysis methods to make the most accurate description
.

It is precisely because of this that the chronicle books have been highly concerned and evaluated by their peers after they were published one after another
.
Zhang Yaping, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, once said at the release conference of the phased results of the Pan-Himalayan Flora project, "Pan-Himalayan Flora" closely combines the traditional content of flora with the latest developments and methods of biology, representing the international development of flora.
highest level
.

"Who wants to do it, young people?"

Considering the important value of the project, relevant experts at home and abroad hope that the "Pan-Himalayan Flora" will be published as soon as possible
.
"The Flora that has already been published and completed the first draft has only studied 1/3 of the pan-Himalayan plants, and we don't want to wait another 20 years to complete the remaining 2/3
.
" Wang Qiang said frankly
.

However, the facts are not optimistic
.

The Pan-Himalayan region is composed of four mountain ranges, the Hindu Kush, the Karakoram, the Himalayas, and the Hengduan Mountains
.

At present, more than 80% of the researchers in the project are from China
.
Wang Qiang said that if a taxonomist devotes himself to 3-5 years, it is not a problem to complete a book of flora
.
"Money can be used closely, and we are not afraid of hardships.
The difficulty is that fewer and fewer people are willing to do it
.
"

Hong Deyuan bluntly said that it is difficult for the team to attract new blood, and taxonomists are becoming less and less enthusiastic about this work, which not only affects the progress of the entire project, but also has a negative effect on the quality of research
.
"The reason for this is that the academic contribution value of monographs like Flora is 0 in our existing evaluation system
.
Who would want to do it for young people? I can only pull my own students to do it
.
It's hard!"

Hong Deyuan explained more than once that taxonomic research results are not valued because papers with high impact factors cannot be published
.
The impact factor is mainly based on citations, and taxonomic research has a very significant regionality for small peers to communicate, which is determined by the characteristics of the discipline itself
.
Flora is different from papers.
It serves a wider range of objects and can be used for research on plants, ecology, and geology.
It is a very important reference book
.

"Science develops rapidly, and the half-life of a large number of research results is only a few years, but taxonomic papers and a book of flora can be continuously mentioned and used for 50 years or even hundreds of years.
historical value
.
" Hong Deyuan emphasized
.
The Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has set up an evaluation index of equal contribution, which opens up possible promotion channels for researchers in such basic disciplines, and encourages young people to sit on the bench and engage in basic scientific research
.
But for most people, such opportunities are too scarce
.

"Chinese taxonomy has only developed for a hundred years, and it has just started.
If it has not stabilized, it may come to an end
.
" Hong Deyuan lowered his voice, "In my lifetime, can I see the completion of the "Pan-Himalayan Flora"?"