[Taxacom] Fwd: Nature needs names: 60 new dragonflies from Africa

[Stephen Thorpe]

Some of the general discussion cites figures which are really no more than wild guesses (e.g. 'nine million species of animal, plant, fungus and protist thought to inhabit our planet'). Citing papers by Costello (and ignoring others whose conclusions don't fit present purposes, like his 2 million biodiversity estimate) plunges me into a fit of uncontrollable coughing! If anything, the "message" to policy makers from this is to prioritise the taxonomy of big and easily recognised freshwater organisms, for these are somehow more important than all the terrestrial small stuff!

Stephen

--------------------------------------------
On Tue, 15/12/15, Ian Harrison <iharrison at amnh.org> wrote:

 Subject: RE: [Taxacom] Fwd: Nature needs names: 60 new	dragonflies	from	Africa
 To: "Stephen Thorpe" <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz>, "deepreef at bishopmuseum.org" <deepreef at bishopmuseum.org>
 Cc: "'taxacom'" <Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
 Received: Tuesday, 15 December, 2015, 12:04 PM
 
 Re:  "I still
 don't think that (m)any policy makers will take the time
 to read it though."
 
 whereas the media piece might catch their eye
 and, might at least encourage them (or one of their staff)
 to take a look at the paper - even if they only read the
 abstract and scan the discussion. That's something.
 
 Ian Harrison
 
 
 ________________________________________
 From: Taxacom [taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu]
 on behalf of Stephen Thorpe [stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz]
 Sent: Monday, December 14, 2015 5:33 PM
 To: deepreef at bishopmuseum.org
 Cc: 'taxacom'
 Subject:
 Re: [Taxacom] Fwd: Nature needs names: 60 new 
 dragonflies     from    Africa
 
 Oops, I see now that the paper
 is freely available! I was sure Rod said it wasn't! I
 still don't think that (m)any policy makers will take
 the time to read it though.
 
 Stephen
 
 --------------------------------------------
 On Mon, 14/12/15, Stephen Thorpe <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz>
 wrote:
 
  Subject: RE:
 [Taxacom] Fwd: Nature needs names: 60 new dragonflies 
    from    Africa
  To:
 "'Stephen Thorpe'" <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz>,
 deepreef at bishopmuseum.org
  Cc: "'taxacom'" <Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
  Received: Monday, 14 December, 2015, 6:26
 PM
 
  So, let me see if I get
 this right?
  Drawing people's attention
 to the things that really matter,
  *in a
 paper which isn't open access*! That's some
 strategy
  for saving the world ...
 
  Stephen
 
 
 --------------------------------------------
  On Mon, 14/12/15, Richard Pyle <deepreef at bishopmuseum.org>
  wrote:
 
  
 Subject: RE: [Taxacom] Fwd: Nature needs names: 60 new
  dragonflies    from    Africa
   To: "'Stephen Thorpe'"
 <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz>
   Cc: "'taxacom'" <Taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu>
   Received: Monday, 14 December, 2015, 6:14
 PM
 
   Oh, and by the way...
 I
   spent a few hours going through the
 Odonata paper in some
   detail yesterday
 and I have to say that, speaking as one
 
 of
   the 0.000002% of the world's
 population who is a
   taxonomist, I was
 extremely impressed with the quality of
  
 the work (to whatever extent an ichthyologist can
 evaluate
   an entomological paper). Each
 species description spans
   several pages
 and includes robust information on taxonomic
   context, material studied, both genetic and
 morphological
   data, and range &
 ecology, and each description also
  
 includes multiple figures (including color) and an
  etymology
   section. The
 seven pages of introductory text are
 
 extremely
   well-written and covers a wide
 range of important topics
   that we often
 ramble endlessly about here on Taxacom, such
   as why naming species is important for
 conservation, why
   taxonomy needs more
 support, and why species MATTER (for
  
 understanding history, environment, evolution, and for
   humanity).  So it seems to me that the
 authors did a
  superb
   job
 both scientifically, and from the perspective of
  drawing
   people's
 attention to the issues that really matter.
 
   Aloha,
  
 Rich
 
   > -----Original
 Message-----
   > From: Stephen Thorpe
 [mailto:stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz]
   > Sent: Sunday, December 13, 2015
 11:15
   AM
   > To:
 'Stephen Thorpe'; deepreef at bishopmuseum.org
   > Subject: RE: [Taxacom] Fwd: Nature
 needs
   names: 60 new dragonflies from
   >
   Africa
   >
   > Rich,
   >
   > I didn't
 say
   significance of the taxonomy TO WHOM!
 Also, I very much
   doubt
   > that policy-makers get their
   information from the popular media!
   >
   > Stephen
   >
   >
  
 --------------------------------------------
   > On Mon, 14/12/15, Richard Pyle <deepreef at bishopmuseum.org>
   wrote:
   >
   >  Subject:
   RE:
 [Taxacom] Fwd: Nature needs names: 60 new
  
 dragonflies    from
   > 
    Africa
   >  To:
 "'Stephen Thorpe'"
  
 <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz>
   >  Received: Monday, 14 December,
 2015,
   10:04 AM
   >
   > 
   Sorry.... one
 more, then
   >  I'll
   shut up:
   >
   >  >
   So, I
   >  was just suggesting that media
   coverage should be  proportional to the 
 >
   > significance of the  taxonomy,
 and
   elevating 60 new dragonflies out of
 all  >
   > proportion seems wrong to
 me.
   >
   >  I
 would argue that
   media
  
 >  coverage should be proportional
   to
 the likelihood that it  will actually influence
   > non-biologists (particularly
   policy-makers).  There is a poor (perhaps
 even
   > inverse?)  correlation between
 what a
   good taxonomist will find of 
 significance,
   > and what will be
 significant to the rest
   of  the
 99.999998% of the
   >
  
 population.  We don't need the  media coverage to
   inspire the ~15,000
   >
 taxonomists of
   the  world; it's the
 other 7 billion (ish) that
   we're 
 trying to
   > engage.
  
 >
   >  Aloha,
  
 >  Rich
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