data sharing

[Michael]

At 11:11 AM 12/5/98 -0700, you wrote:
>
>>Which data do they desire, and to what end will they use it?
>
>        We use plant and flower descriptions and the following
>        types of collection information. Habitat location and
>        elevation, habitat type, collection date, and whatever
>        synonymy we can find. Collection location information
>        is extremely valuable, especially when plants have been
>        split and lumped repeatedly until no-one is sure which
>        plant lives where.

I'm in favor of seeing plant descriptions, keys, floras, and info on
morphology and phenology available.  What concerns me is the publication of
precise location data on the web.  I am not sure why you feel location data
is useful in problems of taxonomic ranking (lumping and splitting).

A particular concern in the case of orchids is conservation.  Since you
work with orchids I'm sure you've found that hobbyists are not always well
educated about conservation issues.  Some feel that obtaining plants from
the wild and placing them in their garden or greenhouse is a form of
conservation (it is not!).  Last summer I observed a population of
Platanthera hookeri coming into bud.  When I visited them around flowering
time I found only little holes left where each flowering plant had been.
Individuals which had no inflorescence were left undisturbed.  I don't know
of any herbivore that would selectively dig flowering orchids, and this
rare green-flowered species could only have been of interest to an orchid
specialist.  There is a real problem of wild-collection of rare orchids,
pitcherplants, cacti, cycads, as well as medicinal plants.

>        Several years ago, during a similar discussion, it was
>        suggested that "sensitive" material be made available only
>        on request. That seems like an extremely time consuming
>        way to do it. At the time I had no reason to object to
>        that approach, but since that discussion, we put our very
>        simple orchid pollination database on-line.

I understand that immediate web access to location data would be a
time-saver for some.  But this is foolhardy if it endangers the plants
themselves.  The label data on herbarium sheets is a mixed bag, some give
precise locations, while others (especially older sheets) are very vague.
Some herbaria are willing to publish this data on the web.  But I know that
even more precise site data for rare species is compiled by The Nature
Conservancy and government agencies.  Often this data is being used in
programs to actively monitor and protect these rare plants.  In the
interest of conservation I am sure you can understand why this can be
considered sensitive information, especially when these organizations are
expected to ensure the survival of these plants in habitat.  If this
locality information was released on the web, what compensating measures
could be implemented to protect these plants in situ?

Michael Chamberland