Ned Jaquith Foundation (NJF) Awards Three Grants for 2020/2021

The Ned Jaquith Foundation’s sole purpose is to award small grants to bamboo researchers. Grants are awarded in: Art Research, Botanical Identification, Collection, Education, Environmental Issues, Genetic Preservation, Habitat Restoration, Propagation Techniques, Utilization and more. The NJF grant guidelines are based on and have the same objectives as the American Bamboo Society grant program. The two programs have merged with oversight by the ABS Secretary, David King, who sits on both boards. All donations and proceeds from the NJF annual event “Ned’s Bash” support bamboo research.

These are the 2020-21 grantees:

(1) Phylogenetic & Taxonomic Studies in Guadua – $4,000; by Edgar Augusto Lobato Alfonso.

Support fieldwork in Acre, Amazonas and Rondonia states to establish a database on Guadua in the Brazilian Amazon through taxonomic, anatomical, and phylogenetic analysis, in addition to supporting the development of management techniques, sustainable use, and conservation of species of the genus in the region.

(2) Mapping bamboo cover in a landscape of high bamboo cultivation potential in coastal Ecuador using UAV and satellite data – $3,000; by Xavier Haro-Carrión.

Assess bamboo cover in the parroquias of Ricuarte, Zapallo, Chone and Boyaca in Manabi province costal Ecuador using satellite data and unmanned aerial vehicles. Results will identify areas of current bamboo cover and locate bamboo areas in relationship to other land-cover types (settlements, agriculture, fallows, and forests. The study will also develop a multi-sensor bamboo mapping protocol.

(3) Bamboo Initiative for the Amhara Region – Part 3 – $1,250; by Abiyou Tilahun, PhD.

Small scale bamboo propagation, cultivation, and commercialization for community livelihood improvement along the Beresa River on the Wegagan Community Project school site, Oldeiana alpina and Bambusa vulgaris. Part 1 was funded in 2018, Part 2 was funded in 2019.