Dr Tariq Stevart (Belgian) is Associate Scientist at the Africa and Madagascar Department of the Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG, USA). He is permanently based at the National Botanic Garden of Belgium and at the Universite; Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium but travel extensively in Central Africa. He is a plant taxonomist focusing his research on the orchid family and is the coordinator of the scientific and conservation projects devoted to the flora of tropical Africa. Since 1997, Stevart has spent more than 3 months a year in the field in Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Sao Tome, Guinea, DRC and Indonesia. Stevart coordinate’s MBG’s activities in Central Africa. He has coordinate the flora and vegetation components of the Mabounie; EIA in Gabon and participated in EIAs in Nimba (Guinee Conakry), Ambatovy (Madagascar) and Wedda Bay (Indonesia). He has contributed to 40 papers in peer reviewed journals. He is member of the IUCN Red List Authority for Central Africa (CARLA) and the IUCN Orchid Specialist Group.