DecafQuest #24 - Magda Bou Dagher | ديكاف كويست #٢٤ - ماجدا بو داغر خرّاط

Table of contents below.

Professor Magda BOU DAGHER KHARRAT is a Plant Geneticist. She is head of laboratory Biodiversity and Functional Genomics at the Faculty of Science in Saint-Joseph University (USJ) Beirut. 

Adapting to the lockdown and working from home: 00:02:00

Research and conservation fieldwork (irises season): 00:03:50

A faulty anthropocentric perspective? 00:11:00

How do you decide which plants to conserve? (invasive vs native species, botanical gardens, cost of maintenance) 00:13:00

Jouzour Loubnan NGO (theory vs practice): 00:22:35

Awareness campaigns about flora, conservation practices, field trips, and hands-on activities: 00:26:00

Being passionate about what you're interested in, choosing to work in plant biology and conservation: 00:32:00

Has the effort been worth it? 00:38:20

Lebanon flora database (info + pics): 00:43:15

Ecosystems need to be protected because they are difficult to restore; how system restoration is carried out; adopting pioneer methods by studying animal excrements; hyenas are not only carnivores, they become herbivores based on the season: 00:47:00

International plant database initiative: 00:55:40

Cost of lab sample analyses is expensive in Lebanon: 00:57:25

Is there awareness about the importance of environmental conservation? 01:00:00

To restore and conserve or to cultivate? (agroforestry) 01:03:00

Arsal project: 01:06:30

Plant names: 01:11:00

Traditional vs innovative strategies: 01:13:20

A reflection on COVID-19 and the human place nature; maintaining the ecosystem balance: 01:20:40

Magda was selected as part of the faces of exchange, which highlights 80 years of the US Visitor Leadership Program: 01:33:00

Relevant links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/magdaboudagher

Jouzour Loubnan twitter: https://twitter.com/jouzourloubnan

Websites: 

http://www.lebanon-flora.org/

http://biodiversite-liban.blogs.usj.edu.lb/

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Magda_Bou_dagher_kharrat 

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