Thirty Species in Three Days — FloraDecode in a Tropical Field Survey
A botanical research team deployed FloraDecode across a remote site in Central Africa, where traditional identification methods had never been logistically feasible. What they found changed their understanding of the site entirely.
Tropical biodiversity surveys present a paradox. The areas of greatest biological richness are often the hardest to access, the most expensive to operate in, and the least served by laboratory infrastructure. For decades, this has meant that the most important sites have remained the least documented.
This case study documents a three-day intensive survey conducted by a multi-institutional research team at a forest site in Central Africa, using FloraDecode as the primary identification tool alongside standard botanical observation.
Why FloraDecode was chosen for this survey
The site had no road access. The team operated from a base camp with no mains power and no connectivity. All equipment had to be carried in, and any samples collected would need to be preserved — a process that degrades DNA quality and introduces delay. The decision to bring FloraDecode was driven by one question: could the team identify species on site, in real time, without any laboratory infrastructure?
What the survey found
Over three days, the team analysed 186 plant samples across the survey area. FloraDecode returned confirmed identifications for 178, spanning 30 distinct species — including four that had not previously been documented in the national species inventory.
One finding was particularly significant. At one site, FloraDecode identified a plant belonging to a genus known to include several species listed under CITES Appendix II. The identification triggered an immediate change in survey protocol — additional sampling around the area, GPS documentation, and a revised report to the funding institution. None of this would have been possible had the team been waiting for laboratory results back home.
Operating in extreme conditions
The FloraDecode unit operated on battery power throughout, with temperatures ranging from 28°C to 38°C and humidity consistently above 85%. The team noted condensation as an occasional challenge during early morning sampling, but the system performed without interruption across all three days.
The value of real-time identification in biodiversity surveys
The most significant outcome of this survey was not the number of species identified — it was the number of decisions that were made in the field, in real time, based on those identifications. Survey transects were adjusted. Sampling effort was redirected. Conservation priorities were revised.
That kind of adaptive field science is only possible when identification results arrive before the field team has left.
Key figures
- 186 samples · 30 species · 3 days
- 4 species new to national inventory
- 1 CITES Appendix II genus confirmed on site
- Zero laboratory shipments
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