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 June 2026!
TEN Fagaceae undertakes curation of backbone taxonomy for all Fagaceae.[update]
In June, the first steps were undertaken towards the creation and curation of a consensus classification for Fagaceae on the World Flora Online Portal. The Taxonomic Expert Network (or TEN) Fagaceae, consisting of the Taxonomy and Nomenclature Committee of the International Oak Society (target group genus Quercus – led by Rodrick Cameron), and the (Alliance for Conservation Tree Genomics (target groups Lithocarpus and Castanopsis – led by Joeri Sergej Strijk) will work towards clearing up the current collection of names in use for members of the family as a whole: a whopping +7000 taxonomic entries (for the roughly 1000 species) have been created over time, by the many (past and current) workers in this major tree family — evidence of a large historical body of work, but also the historical consequences of the complex and often confusing morphological characters in creating the initial classifications. With the family backbone now supported by solid molecular data, unequivocally identifying 8 monophyletic genera, TEN Fagaceae aims to work towards generating a complete framework and checklist with online resources for all accepted names in Fagaceae. This is especially relevant as it feeds data into species records at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and informs active Conservation Red Listing (incl. publication of Global Reports) for the major genera in the family (Quercus, 2020; Castanopsis & Lithocarpus, expected in 2026). It also directly relates to ongoing taxonomic treatments in preparation. Once a complete name checklist is completed on the WFO and Red Listing for the entire family is completed (expected in 2026-27), TEN-Fagaceae will then be able to progress on the need for more detailed phylogenomic information and address the growing conservation challenges in the family. As the number of species listed on the IUCN Red List is reaching towards two-thirds of all species recognized in the family, there is no time to waste in combining recorded species knowledge, collection data, network resources, and updated assessments of threatened species, and turning these into conservation action plans for critical taxa and regions.
News May 2026!
Scientific Expedition Resak Peat Swamp Forest, Pekan, Pahang, May 9–13, 2026.[update]
Last May, over 200 scientists and support staff descended upon the Rompin Center in Pahang for a 4 day scientific expedition into the Resak Peat Swamp Forest. Resak PSF is part of the Southeast Pahang Peat Swamp Forest (SEPPSF). It spans approximately 160,000 hectares, stretching southward from just south of Kuantan, through Pekan, and extending down to the Pahang-Johor border. It is the largest intact, and least-disturbed peat swamp forest ecosystem in mainland tropical Asia. The area is managed by the state and is a critical habitat for a unique array of tropical flora and fauna, including the globally threatened false gharial (Tomistoma crocodile), threatened blackwater fish, and black hornbill, and is home to indigenous Orang Asli communities. The SEPPSF complex is primarily made up of four major permanent forest reserves: Pekan, Nenasi, Kedondong, and Resak.
This multi-stakeholder scientific expedition in the Southeast Pahang Peat Swamp Forest landscape focused on the following key areas:
Biodiversity Documentation: Surveying and cataloging rare and threatened plant and animal species native to the unique peat swamp ecosystem.
Blackwater Fish Studies: Assessing the endangered fish species that inhabit the acidic, tea-colored waters of the region.
Ecosystem Restoration: Monitoring the impact of active rewetting and natural regeneration on degraded peatlands.
Scientific Collaboration: Integrating findings from local and international researchers to guide long-term sustainable conservation planning.
Dr Joeri Sergej Strijk (ACTG) was kindly invited by the expedition organisers to support the botanical team from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and to strengthen the floristic survey component. Watch the expedition video for more information and highlights of this amazing experience:
News April 2026!
Intensive 3D2N Fagaceae field training under the Seed to Tree (STT) project, funded by the UK PACT Green Transition Fund and jointly implemented by TRCRC & Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT.
On April 27-29, Dr Joeri Sergej Strijk (ACTG) provided several days of training and lectures under the Seed to Tree (STT) project at TRCRC’s Living Collection in Banun, Perak, which borders the Amanjaya Forest Reserve and is adjacent to the Royal Belum State Park. Using slides and hand-on materials, this workshop saw three days of fruitful Fagaceae discussions with TRCRC staff and members of Perak Forestry Department. With Amanjaya and the Living Collection nursery as a backdrop, the visit provided an exceptional opportunity to exchange propagation knowledge and expand opportunities for collaboration, supporting efforts to include species of this important tree family in nurseries and reforestation activities.
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 at the CIREN center of the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) in Laos and Vietnam for 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 (French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development) 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 Sergej 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.