a Grand Scheme for systematics?

[Atilano Contreras-Ramos]

> Doug Yanega writes (in part):
> > I've sometimes thought that perhaps what we need is a Grand >Scheme;
> >a multi-national, multi-institutional program that can >attract its OWN
> >funding, award grants, and be self-perpetuating.

> I don't think this is what we need, above and beyond the question of whether
> it is possible to achieve.
> Franz Rugose

I have to disagree with Franz.  We often forget that developing countries have
high biodiversity yet low systematics resources (e.g., systematists).  There
have already been "macroproposals" for taxonomic research.  I believe a somewhat
modest (but efficient) international organism to coordinate efforts for training
new systematists, fund systematics research, and to help create a network for
similar goals is not a bad idea.  Cohesion and active consensus among world
systematists should be a useful strategy.

Atilano Contreras-Ramos
U. Minnesota, Dept. Entomology
St. Paul, MN 55108; USA.
----after March 1996----------
Instituto de Biologia, UNAM
Depto. de Zoologia
Apdo. Postal 70-153
04510 Mexico, D.F.; MEXICO.