Welcome to the website of the Alliance for Conservation Tree Genomics (ACTG)!
>>> [Come back for regular updates and news about ongoing projects here!] <<<
The Alliance for Conservation Tree Genomics (ACTG) is a research organisation focused on understanding and conserving tree biodiversity, particularly within Southeast Asia. ACTG conducts taxonomic, molecular and genomic research, field expeditions and surveys, conservation gap analyses and assessments, and leads restoration projects for threatened tree species (e.g., Fagaceae, Annonaceae, Dipterocarpaceae, Lauraceae).
The Alliance aims to build local capacity for environmental stewardship in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss, by providing training and workshops in genomics, molecular systematics, floristics, conservation horticulture, reforestation, and other fields using the latest approaches. These initiatives include members of local communities, park and government staff, and the next generation of students who will be leading conservation and sustainable use in their regions.
Through partnerships with local stakeholders, and by coordinating larger research initiatives with international partners (such as international botanical gardens, universities, NGO’s, and governments), ACTG drives the generation of funding for regional plant research, and promotes sustainable management of forest ecosystems to strengthen biodiversity conservation.
On these pages you can find information on our past and ongoing projects, announcements of participation in (upcoming) meetings and conference talks/posters, workshops and new publications by the Alliance. For a chronological overview of our work and activities, please check out the workshop and project pages, and browse the publications overview.
News September 2025!
Conservation and range restoration of ten threatened Fagaceae species in Laos and Vietnam [update]
Last week, over 50 participants representing local communities, regional forestry offices and national university departments gathered in Laos and Vietnam for our 3-day workshops on training propagation and conservation skills for threatened tree species. Using classroom-, nursery- and field-based sessions, we introduced participants to collection, propagation and reforestation techniques, sharing our experiences and ideas on how to address challenges facing tree diversity conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity by local communities. Read more on our two workshops, activities and their impact here!
News July 2025!
Conservation and range restoration of ten threatened Fagaceae species in Laos and Vietnam [update]
Last week we held the introductory sessions on our upcoming Fagaceae Conservation and Propagation Workshops in Laos and Vietnam, planned for September 2025. 45 participants will receive theoretical and hands-on skills training on seed collecting, germination and propagation techniques, and cultivation/reforestation of 10 threatened species of Tropical Fagaceae. An integral part of our project, supported by Fondation Franklinia, is population mapping, building of nurseries for threatened tree species in Castanopsis, Lithocarpus and Quercus, population reinforcement, and the sharing of Identification Sheets and Propagation Protocols to strengthen regional conservation capacity. The project, led by the Alliance for Conservation Tree Genomics and Morton Arboretum, will cover a 3-year period and oversee activities in one of IndoChina’s last remaining and largest forest blocks.
News February 2025!
Conservation and range restoration of ten threatened Fagaceae species in Laos and Vietnam [update]
Teams from the Alliance for Conservation Tree Genomics, the Morton Arboretum and IRD met from 10 to 16 February in Nakaï (Khammouan province, Lao PDR) to launch the first field and training activities of the ‘Conservation and restoration of the range of ten threatened species of Fagaceae in Laos and Vietnam’ project. More information on the project’s opening workshop is available on the IRD website here.
News 2024!
Conservation and range restoration of ten threatened Fagaceae species in Laos and Vietnam
Supported by funding from the Franklinia Foundation, ACTG and Morton Aroboretum will be undertaking a 3-year project (2024-2027) with regional partners in Laos and Vietnam to cultivate and conserve ten threatened species of Fagaceae. This will be realized through a combination of ex situ cultivation programs at various partner sites, and in situ strengthening of populations in selected protected areas and their buffer zones. More project information will be made available here soon here.
News June 2023!
Conservation Gap Analyses of Asia’s Oak species
Over the next 3 years, The Morton Arboretum, in partnership with the Alliance for Conservation Tree Genomics, and Botanic Gardens Conservation International, will be conducting conservation gap analyses on the native oaks of Asia. This has previously been done for oaks native to the United States (2016-2019, report here). For more information on our project, please visit the project page here.
News March 2023!
Late 2022, Dr Joeri Strijk was invited to attend the International Conservation Symposium 2023 organized by the Ecological Society of Taiwan and the National Forestry Department. The meeting, entitled ‘The Ecological Value and Plant Diversity of Southeastern Taiwan”, was organized in March 2023 in Taipei and featured Taiwanese and International experts from the International Oak Society, the Global Conservation Consortium for Oaks, and Botanic Gardens Conservation International. The meeting, stretching out over 11 days, involved joint vegetation surveys of highly diverse forest sites and discussions on species persistence, the critical threats facing plant diversity, and the obstacles to conservation efforts in southeastern Taiwan. The visit was closed with a full-day symposium and press conference in Taipei. You can read the whole article and trip report on the website of the International Oak Society (IOS) here. Species pages for all taxa found on Taiwan can be viewed on https://www.asianfagaceae.com/fagaceae-of-taiwan/ by clicking here.
News January 2023!
A new species from the Fagaceae family, Castanopsis corallocarpus Tan & Strijk, is described from Royal Belum State Park in Peninsular Malaysia. In our latest publication, we provide technical illustrations, color images and a description of its conservation status and the collecting locality, in addition to a comparative analysis with other species in the region. The solitary nut of C. corallocarpus has a morphologically unique cupule, lined with rows of thick coral-like spines not seen in other Castanopsis species. You can read the whole article on PhytoKeys click here or visit the new species page for C. corallocarpus Tan & Strijk, by clicking here.