Sanna Olander, CMEP Research Officer
I have been at the Botanics since 2016 in different roles and projects. One of my main interests is IUCN Red Listing i.e. assessing species risk of extinction according to IUCN’s regulations. As a Red List coordinator I write, facilitate and review these reports. With 600+ published assessments to my name, this is one of my areas of expertise.
Many different types of data go into this work. Whether qualitative, quantitative or spatial, it interests me how a spreadsheet can contribute to, and sometimes be vital for, conservation. The data collected by CMEP and CMEP collaborators, does not only inform Red Lists but contributes to the safe keeping of biodiversity through other types of analysis.
I manage some of the data workstreams in CMEP, from collected plant to database, collating associated data to inform conservation actions as well as taxonomic and floristic research. I do love a good map and use spatial data in Esri ArcGIS Pro and other GIS software to e.g. show past and current distributions, giving a clue about the status of a taxon and what conservation measures are needed.