Southern African herbaria and Red Data Lists

The southern African region is facing a major information backlog with rega rd to compiling plant Red Data Lists. This article examines the need for sy nergising these attempts by enlisting the aid of herbaria. It focuses on in tegrating ongoing Red Data List work with herbarium activities, with partic ular emphasis on the network of southern African herbaria. It is proposed t hat herbaria adopt a means to code specimens with a known or suspected Red Data List status. This practical suggestion presents one way in which south ern African herbaria can adopt a more proactive stance towards threatened p lant and other conservation-related issues to help overcome this informatio n backlog. The southern African region has much to do, if it is to emulate the international Red Data List status quo, and herbaria are at the centre of this.