Few probably know that we have a magnificent herbarium on the basis of the Institute of Botany. The Central Herbarium of the SPC "Botanica" of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan (TASH) is a unique botanical collection, which is a national treasure of Uzbekistan. It stores more than 1.5 million herbarium sheets collected since 1840 from all regions of Uzbekistan and Central Asia, as well as some other regions of the world. Working on the basis of the TASH collection data, it is possible to establish the historical and modern species composition of plants for most regions of Uzbekistan, since the density of herbarium collections is very high.
However, to date, this huge amount of information has been little used in scientific research, in compiling regional floristic lists, and remains practically unclaimed in assessing the ecological state of the regions. The main reason for this problem is the lack of an electronic database of the Central Herbarium. The search for the necessary information has to be carried out among many thousands of herbarium specimens, which is very long and laborious.
The transfer of reliable data stored in the TASH funds into a systematized electronic information environment is of key importance for establishing the species richness of the flora of Uzbekistan as a whole and certain regions of the country, for the effective protection and sustainable use of flora resources, as well as for the training of scientific personnel and work on environmental education.
This project aims to create such a database using a geographic information system (GIS).
The project document is offered to your attention for review.
We will be grateful for your help and attention.
