[Taxacom] Released Friday 27 April - Discovering Biodiversity: A decadal plan for taxonomy and biosystematics in Australia and New Zealand 2018-2027

Wed May 2 12:58:10 CDT 2018

There is some irony to all of this looking for a relevant 'framework' for
taxonomy and systematics. Some decades back various authorities in New
Zealand made darned sure to kill one proposal - for a Biodiversity Atlas of
New Zealand. A simple enough concept for combining published and
unpublished taxonomic and systematic information into an integrated Atlas
which made these disciplines the central foundation for understanding and
representing the natural structure of biodiversity in New Zealand. And
furthermore, treating natural history collections as biodiversity libraries
(an idea that was ridiculed in one published article).

For five years attempts were made to get funding - unfortunately the only
option was 'competitive funding' which meant that competitors got the
opportunity to review and reject (whereas overseas reviewers were
favorable, but they were given little credence). Some reviews got quite
nasty, descending to abusive language. So now we have a sort of whiney
repetition of the same old arguments and appeals to technology. As Michael
Heads once noted, a technical advance is not the same as a conceptual
advance.

John Grehan

On Wed, May 2, 2018 at 10:26 AM, Richard Zander <Richard.Zander at mobot.org>
wrote:

> Yes, the Australian and New Zealand notice was rather sparse in terms of
> actual ideas for using herbaria for public benefit.
>
>
> Consider the following extract from a paper I'm writing as a possible use
> for herbaria:
>
>
> The herbarium, for botanists, is the primary tool for guiding natural
> selection into fully complex biological systems. It is the database that we
> can tap to gain information on plant distribution over time. The herbarium
> contains samples of ecosystems from the last 200 years or so. These samples
> imply the well-sorted adaptation of genes and their carriers to
> environmental stresses. These samples are the gold standard for short-term
> (next 100 years) efforts at sustainability and resilience of present-day
> surviving natural ecosystems and species.
>
>
> In the long-term, however, rapid and near total effects on biota caused by
> climate change and other human-caused disturbances obviate the value of a
> herbarium to benchmark restoration of any particular well-studied
> ecosystem. But herbaria also can be used to predict the direction of
> movement of migrating communities and ecosystems, and provide a target for
> establishment of new floras in cases when migration is not possible.
>
>
> The goal of macroevolutionary systematics as applied to ecosystem health
> is to avoid prescriptive manipulation of a flora towards a bespoke novel
> agglomeration of species, but to encourage with as little meddling as
> possible the natural evolution of an ecosystem over long periods of time
> towards a self-established internal balance of complex plant interplay.
> This is done by enhancing an evolutionary and ecological redundancy that
> resists thermodynamic insults, like floods, desertification, or the effects
> of humans and other invasives.
>
>
> One of the associated requirements, unfortunately, is that continued
> protection of present-day rarities and other human-valued species or
> communities must be subsumed under the rubric of letting nature heal
> itself. Did I mention that humans are included in this? Given the
> inexorable, exponential change in climate, we cannot expect a return to
> pre-industrial levels of ecosystem density and diversity.
>
>
> We must try to help establish a new self-sustaining normal. This should be
> done without significant slowing of the evolutionary process by
> prescriptive goals of what that new normal must be in order to allow a
> sustaining of human populations at the present level of increase.
>
> Any comments?
>
> ________________________________
> From: Taxacom <taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu> on behalf of Jan
> Bosselaers <dochterland at telenet.be>
> Sent: Wednesday, May 2, 2018 3:52 AM
> To: Stephen Thorpe
> Cc: Taxacom Mailinglist
> Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Released Friday 27 April - Discovering
> Biodiversity: A decadal plan for taxonomy and biosystematics in Australia
> and New Zealand 2018-2027
>
> In the Netherlands they have a robot that automatically generates such
> verbiage: http://bullshit.takovermeulen.eu <http://bullshit.
> takovermeulen.eu/>
> Bullshit generator<http://bullshit.takovermeulen.eu/>
> bullshit.takovermeulen.eu
> Bullshit generator. Een tool waarmee je de meest fantastische
> adviesteksten kan schrijven. Automatisch. Tijdbesparend!
>
>
>
> Saved me a lot of time when I had to do my annual self-evaluation.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Jan
>
>
> > Op 2 mei 2018, om 10:40 heeft Stephen Thorpe <stephen_thorpe at yahoo.co.nz>
> het volgende geschreven:
> >
> > See below. In this rhetoric-laden begging bowl, it is claimed
> "Australian and New Zealand taxonomists and biosystematists are world
> leaders, particularly in translating biodiversity research for public
> benefit"
> >
> > Can anyone translate that? What does it mean???
> >
> > Stephen
> >
> >
> > --- On Wed, 2/5/18, Dean Peterson <Dean.Peterson at tepapa.govt.nz> wrote:
> >
> >> From: Dean Peterson <Dean.Peterson at tepapa.govt.nz>
> >> Subject: FW: Released Friday 27 April - Discovering Biodiversity: A
> decadal plan for taxonomy and biosystematics in Australia and New Zealand
> 2018-2027
> >> To: "Dean Peterson" <Dean.Peterson at tepapa.govt.nz>
> >> Received: Wednesday, 2 May, 2018, 1:17 PM
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Hi Everyone,
> >>
> >> Below is a message from Kevin Thiele
> >> regarding the decadal plan recently released.
> >>
> >> Kind regards,
> >> Dean
> >>
> >> Dr Dean
> >> Peterson
> >> Associate Director
> >> Collections, Research & Learning
> >>
> >>
> >> Museum of New
> >> Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
> >>
> >>
> >> PO
> >> Box 467
> >>
> >>
> >> Wellington
> >>
> >>
> >> DDI
> >> +64 4 381
> >> 7347
> >>
> >> M:
> >> 027 500 5553
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Dean.Peterson at tepapa.govt.nz
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> From: Kevin
> >> Thiele
> >>
> >>
> >> Sent: Monday, 30 April 2018 8:00 PM
> >>
> >> Subject: Released Friday 27 April - Discovering
> >> Biodiversity: A decadal plan for taxonomy and biosystematics
> >> in Australia and New Zealand 2018-2027
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Hi
> >> all,
> >>
> >>
> >> You’re receiving this email because you
> >> attended one of the taxonomy decadal plan sector-stakeholder
> >> engagement meetings late last year, or have expressed
> >> interest in the decadal plan and requested
> >> updates.
> >>
> >>
> >> The
> >> plan was officially launched at Parliament House Canberra
> >> last Friday morning (27 April), with around 60 attendees. I
> >> believe there is a strong sense by those who attended the
> >> launch that this was a milestone for
> >> our community.
> >>
> >>
> >> The
> >> launch generated substantial media interest, including radio
> >> and newspaper pieces both locally in Australia and New
> >> Zealand, and internationally. The social media reach has
> >> also been impressive – the Academy has an
> >> extremely good social media presence, as have many of our
> >> institutions. The attention generated shows that our
> >> discipline – taxonomy and biosystematics –
> >> resonates with and greatly interests the public. We need to
> >> work with this, and build more exposure, in
> >> the coming years.
> >>
> >>
> >> At the
> >> launch I thanked all who have been involved in this project,
> >> including the Advisory Committee, Working Group, and the
> >> more than 400 people who provided suggestions, advice and
> >> guidance at the sector-stakeholder
> >> meetings, through the noto|biotica blog, on the exposure
> >> draft, and via direct contact. This email is to thank you
> >> all for your contributions and help.
> >>
> >>
> >> Discovering Diversity: A decadal plan for
> >> taxonomy and biosystematics in Australia and New Zealand
> >> 2018-2027 is now available for
> >> download as a pdf from
> >>
> >> https://www.science.org.au/support/analysis/decadal-
> plans-science/discovering-biodiversity-decadal-plan-taxonomy.
> >> Please read it, pass it to colleagues and contacts in
> >> government and the community, and consider how we can best
> >> implement its strategic actions.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Finally, while the launch of the plan is a
> >> milestone, what this really means is that while we now have
> >> a mile behind us, we have another in front. Substantial
> >> further work is required (and planned) in the next few years
> >> and throughout the decade, to bring about the real change
> >> that the plan outlines. It will be beaut if you can stay
> >> with us, help shape the implementation of the plan, and work
> >> towards a better future for Australian and New Zealand
> >> taxonomy and biosystematics,
> >> and through this for our biodiversity.
> >>
> >>
> >> Regards, and thanks again - Kevin
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Dr
> >> Kevin Thiele
> >> Program
> >> Manager, Biosystematics and Taxonomy Plan
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Australian
> >> Academy of Science
> >> Ian
> >> Potter House, 9 Gordon Street, Acton ACT 2601  |
> >> GPO Box 783, Canberra ACT 2601
> >> M
> >> 0407
> >> 509 778  |   E
> >> kevin.thiele at science.org.au
> >>  www.science.org.au<http://www.science.org.au>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Disclaimer:
> >> This message is intended for the addressee named and may
> >> contain confidential information, which also may be legally
> >> privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, please
> >> notify the sender and delete.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> > _______________________________________________
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> _______________________________________________
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> Nurturing Nuance while Assaulting Ambiguity for 31 Some Years, 1987-2018.
>