[Taxacom] Why Taxonomy does NOT matter

[Andrew Mitchell]

Hi All,

I think the real reason that astronomers can get huge grants and taxonomists can't is that taxonomists/systematists are such a fractious bunch they just can't help but shoot themselves in the foot by protesting vociferously against any emerging large initiatives. A case in point is barcoding. The concept has caught the public's imagination and could bring megabucks to taxonomy, but instead of seeing the possibilities, getting involved and working together to integrate and improve this fledgling system many taxonomists would rather fire shots from the sidelines.  Have you ever seen a documentary on TV where say radioastronomers slam gamma-ray astronomers as having no understanding of their subdiscipline? Of course not! They would rather work together to build the multi-billion dollar SKA that they can all use.

Now that I'm sticking my neck out I may as well add that funding models which favour "innovation" over all else are partly to blame. This is why we have so many different initiatives digitising taxonomy (checklists, species pages & images, the heritage literature) with limited interactivity - each successive proposal must demonstrate that it is doing something "innovative", i.e. different from existing projects.

OK, my flame guards are up so fire away!

Andrew

Andrew Mitchell
Integrative Systematist
Entomology

Australian Museum
6 College Street Sydney NSW 2010 Australia
t 61 2 9320 6346   f 61 2 9320 6042
www.australianmuseum.net.au


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