Researchers

Lead Researcher

Lencho Taye

Independent Researcher · EAGLOPEN · Shashemene Flora Archive

Lencho Taye is an independent ethnobotanical researcher focused on documenting traditional medicinal plant knowledge in the Bale-Shashemene highlands. He leads the formalisation of this research initiative, including institutional liaison, publication strategy, and development of the digital archive platform.

Working alongside the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute and partner organisations, Lencho coordinates research outputs designed for academic grant applications and international scholarship programmes, while ensuring community knowledge is treated as primary source material.

His work bridges field-collected data with structured scientific documentation — transforming oral tradition into verifiable, citable research records.

Research Interests

"Traditional medicine is not folklore — it is empirical knowledge accumulated over generations. Our role is to document it with the rigour it deserves."

Field Data Researcher

Derartu Taye

Field Intern · Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute, Shashemene Biodiversity Garden · Madda Walabu University

Derartu Taye conducts primary field data collection for the Shashemene Flora Archive, working under the formal acceptance of the EBI Shashemene Biodiversity Garden Director. She documents plant specimens, records multilingual nomenclature, and captures traditional use narratives directly from community informants.

Her internship focuses on systematic ethnobotanical survey methodology — photographing specimens, logging collection metadata, and maintaining the field notes that feed directly into the digital plant archive.

Derartu graduates in 2027 and this research programme forms a cornerstone of her professional portfolio for careers in biodiversity conservation and ethnobotanical science.

Field Expertise

"Every plant we collect carries a story from the community that shared it. That story is as important as the specimen itself."