[Taxacom] [TAXACOM] Why Taxonomy does NOT matter

[Stephen Thorpe]

I suspect the decline in taxonomy (or, more strictly, the decline in recruitment 
of new taxonomists - the older ones are still as active as ever) rests firmly on 
economic factors stemming from a change in funding systems, coupled by a greater 
preoccupation with citation rates in a more competitive economic environment. 
This, to my mind at least, goes some way to explaining the phenomenon of "trendy 
science" sucking all the funding until something newer comes along and they all 
jump on that bandwagon... In the current economic environment, one might expect 
other types of "pure science" to decline also, and be overtaken by more applied 
projects with obvious potential economic benefits, or perceived benefits for the 
direct welfare of humanity (like "climate change research"). It is interesting 
that the GISP has apparently now died due to lack of funding: invasive species 
are those which don't have a direct negative economic effect  (unlike pest 
species), but simply outcompete natives in invaded areas, and the ultimate 
effect is largely unknown ...

Stephen




________________________________
From: Bob Mesibov <mesibov at southcom.com.au>
To: fhaas at icipe.org
Cc: TAXACOM <taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
Sent: Tue, 19 April, 2011 10:14:02 AM
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] [TAXACOM] Why Taxonomy does NOT matter

Getting back to Fabian's original post, we'd probably all agree that the reasons 
for the lack of growth in support for taxonomy have more to do with public 
policy issues than scientific ones. But what are those public policy issues?

IMO, taxonomy is tied in public discourse to

(1) 'public health', 'medical research'
(2) 'biosecurity', 'food security'
(3) 'conservation', 'protecting the environment'

The first 2 are what might be called applied taxonomy and there will always be 
some support for it - but only as much as is needed to solve specific problems. 
The 3rd has been the packhorse which has carried the heavy idea that we need to 
discover and document life on Earth in order to better conserve Nature. Much of 
the public yatter about biodiversity started at the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992.

But conservation policy makers realised very early on that taxonomy is largely 
irrelevant to conserving Nature. More than anything else they needed lines 
(polygons) on maps which could be starting points for political discussions 
about withdrawing land or water from human use. To draw those maps they didn't 
need full taxonomic inventories. The policy makers asked 'What's left to 
conserve?', 'Of these X areas, which should get out highest priority for 
conservation?', 'Which reservation proposal will be least politically painful to 
implement and cost least to manage?', 'Which introduced species do we have a 
hope of controlling?'

Above and beyond all the discussion is the unavoidable fact that People Come 
First in all public policy, and there are 25% more people now than there were in 
1992. Item (3) above is being squeezed out of the picture. Reserves are 
ephemeral in a world where the human demand for land, water and other resources 
is constantly growing. (1) and (2) are looming larger, but it can and has been 
argued that you don't need taxonomy for applied taxonomy, you just need a 
library of sequences.

In short, I don't think the promised or hinted support for taxonomy didn't 
materialise at a public policy level because the idea was dumb, or because 
people were afraid of what might be discovered. I think support hasn't appeared 
because taxonomy isn't relevant to the Big Agenda, which is growing people 
endlessly at the expense of the natural world. You can find thousands of 
instances of the claim 'people come first' at every level of public policy 
making.
-- 
Dr Robert Mesibov
Honorary Research Associate
Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, and
School of Zoology, University of Tasmania
Home contact: PO Box 101, Penguin, Tasmania, Australia 7316
Ph: (03) 64371195; 61 3 64371195
Webpage: http://www.qvmag.tas.gov.au/?articleID=570

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