Table of contents below. Professor Magda BOU DAGHER KHARRAT is a Plant Geneticist. She is head of laboratory Biodiversity and Functional Genomics at the Faculty of Science in Saint-Joseph University (USJ) Beirut.  Adapting to the lockdown and working from home: 00:02:00 Research and conservation fieldwork (irises season): 00:03:50 A faulty anthropocentric perspective? 00:11:00 How do you decide which plants to conserve? (invasive vs native species, botanical gardens, cost of maintenance) 00:13:00 Jouzour Loubnan NGO (theory vs practice): 00:22:35 Awareness campaigns about flora, conservation practices, field trips, and hands-on activities: 00:26:00 Being passionate about what you're interested in, choosing to work in plant biology and conservation: 00:32:00 Has the effort been worth it? 00:38:20 Lebanon flora database (info + pics): 00:43:15 Ecosystems need to be protected because they are difficult to restore; how system restoration is carried out; adopting pioneer methods by studying animal excrements; hyenas are not only carnivores, they become herbivores based on the season: 00:47:00 International plant database initiative: 00:55:40 Cost of lab sample analyses is expensive in Lebanon: 00:57:25 Is there awareness about the importance of environmental conservation? 01:00:00 To restore and conserve or to cultivate? (agroforestry) 01:03:00 Arsal project: 01:06:30 Plant names: 01:11:00 Traditional vs innovative strategies: 01:13:20 A reflection on COVID-19 and the human place nature; maintaining the ecosystem balance: 01:20:40 Magda was selected as part of the faces of exchange, which highlights 80 years of the US Visitor Leadership Program: 01:33:00 Relevant links: Twitter: https://twitter.com/magdaboudagher Jouzour Loubnan twitter: https://twitter.com/jouzourloubnan Websites:  http://www.lebanon-flora.org/ http://biodiversite-liban.blogs.usj.edu.lb/ https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Magda_Bou_dagher_kharrat  Support the channel:  Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/decafquest  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/decafquest  Twitter: https://twitter.com/Decafquest