[Taxacom] Funding arguments for taxonomy !?

[Fabian Haas]

Difficult, difficult!

In any case BioNET international has a web site, with a page in Why 
Taxonomy Matters. Quite a number of case study to show importance of 
taxonomy. the www.cbd.int/gti should also provide some information and 
ideas.

For getting funding, it often seems easier to try and do digitization 
work and contributions to iBOL, GBIF etc, piggy back on, or if you 
promis to produce some LucID key or other ID material.

probably not what you want , but thats about it...

best
Fabian

On 24.10.10 14:02, Phillip S. Boegh wrote:
> Dear Taxacom'mers
>
> In a not far future, I need to ask for funding for taxonomy, which all
> know, is not easy.
>
> Conservation and Biodiversity arguments do not appeal for decision
> makers that focus on short term solutions of the economic crisis. We
> need to start a new wave of needs for taxonomic information, if the
> branch should regain its strength. What I want is a general goodwill to
> hope for fundings.
>
> Please add your ideas and consider if the below is a way to go?:
>
> A new funding argument may be to document that the adaptations of many
> organisms directly inspire to new revolutionary invention that can soon
> be used for commercial development in the industry. Such well-known
> bionics example is the C-shaped jaws of Ergates spiculatus larvae that
> inspired to the chain saw. I know the risk is that all funding will be
> linked to possible inventions, which we cannot predict.
>
> However, it will cost very little labor for a taxonomist after (s)he has
> found a new species (or higher level) to upload a qualified guess to a
> database why this particular organism has survived thousand years of
> selection - and may become useful info for the industry.
> Inventors and development departments can enter the same database and
> search for news or receive RSS feeds in their area.
>
> Best wishes
>
> Phillip Bøgh
> Research coordinator
>
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-- 

**********************************************************
fhaas at icipe.org, Extension -2052

The African Insect Taxonomy Toolkit AITT
http://taxonomy.icipe.org


Dr. Fabian Haas
Insect Taxonomist and ABS Specialist
ICIPE - African Insect Science for Food and Health
Duduville Campus, Kasarani
P.O. Box 30772 - 00100
N A I R O B I
Kenya

Telephone No. 	+254 (0)20 8632000
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This position is supported by CIM, the Centre for International Migration www.cimonline.de