Some of the plants collected through the provinces where kept in a greenhouse at the Taiwan’s Technical Farm at KGVI

A six-year project on Census and Classification of Plant Resources between Solomon Islands and Taiwan will end this year.

The project is a joint initiative agreed between the two countries mainly to work on preserving local plant species in Solomon Islands.

Chief of Mission Project Manager from Taiwan, Mr Mars Shiue said the first phase of the project was very successful and work is yet to happen between the two countries on phase two of the project.

Mr Shiue said during the course of work the past six years, technical people were brought in by Taiwan with the help of the Solomon Islands government to do the work in the country.

“As the activities of the project conducted a team of expertise went everywhere in the country and collected different plant species as they thought the plants should be keep in preservation.

“They went to almost every provinces in the country. The team climbed mountains, valleys and reached to almost every landscapes the country has to collect plant species.

“The collection made on the species was sent to Taiwan and some were kept in a greenhouse at the Taiwan farm at King George,” he said.

Mr Shiue said sending of the plant species to Taiwan was in the agreement and the purpose is to keep them in Taiwan in case there is a threat that can endanger the species in the country.

He stressed that the project is very important especially to Solomon Islands’ biodiversity as it advocates for looking after the flora in the country.

However, Mr Shiue said phase one of the project cost Taiwan more than $US3m.