IUCN COMMISSION GROUP

IUCN SSC Bryophyte Specialist Group

Group leadership

Dr Jacques VAN ROOY

More than 40 years of experience in research on the taxonomy, nomenclature, biogeography and conservation of African bryophytes, southern African mosses in particular.

Dr Irene BISANG

As a botanist / bryologist by training (PhD) I have a long-term engagement in bryophyte conservation. During my professional career, I held different positions as a senior scientist, researcher and as a research manager. Since my Master thesis, I have actively conducted research, while the time devoted to it varied over the years. My research is organism- and collection based and focuses on bryophyte life history traits and changes in bryophyte diversity and their drivers. I have established, and maintain, an extensive network among scientists, conservationists, funding agencies and research and collection organisations. I have also worked with many aspects of natural history collections, both practically and at the management and strategic level.

More about the Specialist Group

The BSG promotes the exploration of bryological diversity across all geographic scales. It provides the scientific knowledge to assess the extinction risk and conservation status of bryophytes, and actively contributes to conservation actions around the world. It reaches out to decision-makers and the general public on bryophyte diversity- and bryophyte conservation-related issues.

Specialist Group work

The work of BSG focuses on assessing extinction risks of bryophytes at the global and regional levels. Bryophytes are a specious group of land plants whose diversity is in many parts of the world insufficiently known which results in few species for which their extinction risk has been assessed.