“Mapping Asia Plants Plus” Initiative Endorsed as UNESCO IDSSD Project

11 08, 2025

Recently, the “Mapping Asia Plants Plus” (MAP+) initiative, led by the Biodiversity Committee, Chinese Academy of Sciences (BC-CAS), has been selected as a project of the United Nations' International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (2024-2033) (IDSSD) Project.

This endorsement follows the UN General Assembly’s 2023 resolution establishing the IDSSD to advance global scientific cooperation for a sustainable future. In response, UNESCO launched a global call for proposals, to which MAP+ was submitted and successfully selected.

Launched under the leadership of Prof. Ma Keping of the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, who also serves as the Deputy Director and Secretary-General of the BC-CAS, MAP+ tackles the critical limitation of plant diversity data across Asia. Its primary goal is to create an integrated database of plant distribution by gathering and consolidating floral resources from nations along the Belt and Road. This database, providing comprehensive species checklists, geographical distributions, and specimen records, is dedicated to identifying priority conservation areas and informing targeted conservation strategies at regional and national levels. Thus, MAP+ provides a scientific basis for China’s engagement in global environmental governance and strengthens collaborative research with its international partners.

Supported by ANSO, BC-CAS, the project united several leading research institutions at home and abroad—Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Northeast Forestry University in China, Institute of Botany of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, and Institute of Water and Ecology Problems Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Starting in Asia, the team divided the continent into six sub-regions, including Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Northeast Asia, etc.

To date, the initiative has produced a comprehensive plant species checklist and distribution database covering 48 Asia countries and territories. It encompasses over 100,000 plant species, 1.05 million name records, and 8.4 million georeferenced occurrences. In parallel, the team has published 14 peer-reviewed articles and 4 monographs on the cataloging of Asian plant species.

To strengthen global partnerships, Prof. Ma has organized 8 international symposia focusing on plant diversity in Asia. On behalf of the BC-CAS, he has also signed Memoranda of Understanding with representatives from four international organizations. These agreements formalize a commitment to collaborative knowledge exchange on plant diversity conservation and data sharing, laying a solid foundation for advancing research and effective conservation throughout Asia and beyond.