[Taxacom] Rocket science, not?

[Jim Croft]

Registration (for plants names) is almost inevitable because there is
a demonstrable need for access to a comprehensive and definitive list
of names (and concepts) and the techonology is now available to
support it.   Where it came unstuck last time, and I believe with some
justification, was over the politics of power and control, and
coupling with a new 'Names in Current Use' before it had any
acceptance or ownership by the taxonomic community.

To avoid a similar fight at the next Congress, now would be a good
time to be getting together a broad, multilateral and inclusive base
on which to manage it.

jim

On Mon, May 11, 2009 at 1:23 AM, Mary Barkworth <Mary at biology.usu.edu> wrote:
> I do not object to registration per se. It was the bureaucracy proposed
> that bothered me, plus it also seemed to offer too much opportunity for
> censorship by the recognized authority or institution (which might also
> happen with a national node). Unfortunately it was killed so fast I did
> not get back from the herbarium in time to vote. I admit that one reason
> for my commenting on a national node effort was partly the discovery
> yesterday of some grass names that I was unaware of in an article
> published several years ago in China - and the names are not in either
> IPNI or TROPICOS. My suggestion of a national (or regional node) was
> partly a feeling that in some countries there might be a feeling that
> they want to be seen as (and feel as) the keepers of the information
> about their own organisms.  So long as the information is shared, it is
> good. I just checked ITIS, the official source of taxonomy and names for
> GBIF, for the name and it is (sorry guys) pathetic for the genus
> concerned. Whether it is because whoever makes the decisions does not
> recognize Pseudoroegneria or because it is too much for the
> infrastructure available to GBIF is not clear. My guess is that keeping
> track of all names is far too big a task. I hope that GBIF will work
> more closely with groups like those who organize MycoBank. It sounds
> like there is movement towards integration of resources - and
> facilitating such integration. That is good, very good. And yes, the
> plant people should get on board with the concept of registration.
> Mary
>
> _______________________________________________
>
> Taxacom Mailing List
> Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
> http://mailman.nhm.ku.edu/mailman/listinfo/taxacom
>
> The Taxacom archive going back to 1992 may be searched with either of these methods:
>
> (1) http://taxacom.markmail.org
>
> Or (2) a Google search specified as:  site:mailman.nhm.ku.edu/pipermail/taxacom  your search terms here
>



-- 
_________________
Jim Croft ~ jim.croft at gmail.com ~ +61-2-62509499 ~
http://www.google.com/profiles/jim.croft

"Words, as is well known, are the great foes of reality."
- Joseph Conrad, author (1857-1924)

"I know that you believe that you understood what you think I said,
but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant."
 - attributed to Robert McCloskey, US State Department spokesman