[Taxacom] Australsasin Decadal Plan

[John Grehan]

“I reckon Stephen Thorpe has made his point. He is the best systematist in
the world and is in Australasia! We are very lucky to have his leadership
here and must be world-leading as a result.”

Don’t understand the relevance of this. Does it matter if he is the best
systematists or not? We are certainly lucky on Taxacom to have his input,
whether or not one choses to agree or not. At least he gives a rat’s ……..
to bother making an effort to contribute.

“What does ""translating biodiversity research for public benefit" mean?

It means engaging with what people are actually doing to and for
biodiversity. It means helping to respond to biosecurity incursions. It
means trying to prioritise biodiversity losses against economic
development. It even means exploring the economic potential of undervalued
species. It means other things too, but I hope you get my point.”

This response demonstrates the value of Stephen's question. The meaning was
not apparent and so hence the question, which seemed quite reasonable to
me. The fact that it had to be explained makes the point. Even ‘engaging
with what people are actually doing to and for biodiversity’ is obscure –
what kind of “engagement’? The core of the document seemed to indicate that
such ‘engagement’ is no different from the status quo, which appears not to
have been very encouraging in either country (especially as some
institutions have reduced taxonomy staff or tried to).

“It may not be my ideal for the science of systematics, but it is not
waffle. I'm pretty sure we could do it better at it, but  doing our work
with consideration for the work of others in our interdependent community
is an honorable aspiration.”

It is possible to have honorable waffle with best of intentions.

“The subtext in the decadal plan is that Australasian professional
systematists are trying hard to respond to the agendas of the wider
communities in which they live and have made strides in that direction over
recent years. My view of the literature in my field (green plant
systematics) is that we are highly prioritised in Australasia compared to
the wider world. This is an important thing for funders (mostly
governments) to appreciate.”

If this document actually effects some change to funders then well and
good. No doubt this document was presented to relevant ministers prior to
publication to ensure that they were suitably impressed.

“There are some who would rather spend their time hating on their own, but
it's reassuring to know that funders don't generally respond to trolls.”

I understand a troll to be “a person who sows discord on the Internet by
starting quarrels or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory, extraneous,
or off-topic messages in an online community” The trouble with this kind of
understanding is that it can easily be used to attack any scientific
critique, and yet critique is the core of science. Without it we only have
mysticism. Stephen is doing a great service for systemtics by presenting
his critiques. Perhaps his words may be sharper than some would like, but
other than attacks on the personal integrity of individuals just about
anything goes in science, which is how it should be.

“Best of luck for all your funding applications”

What does this have to do with anything? Is there an implication that if
one is successful with funding then one is worth hearing and vice versa?

John Grehan


On Thu, May 3, 2018 at 8:10 AM, Rob Smissen <SmissenR at landcareresearch.co.nz
> wrote:

> I reckon Stephen Thorpe has made his point. He is the best systematist in
> the world and is in Australasia! We are very lucky to have his leadership
> here and must be world-leading as a result.
>
> What does ""translating biodiversity research for public benefit" mean?
>
> It means engaging with what people are actually doing to and for
> biodiversity. It means helping to respond to biosecurity incursions. It
> means trying to prioritise biodiversity losses against economic
> development. It even means exploring the economic potential of undervalued
> species. It means other things too, but I hope you get my point.
>
> It may not be my ideal for the science of systematics, but it is not
> waffle. I'm pretty sure we could do it better at it, but  doing our work
> with consideration for the work of others in our interdependent community
> is an honorable aspiration.
>
> The subtext in the decadal plan is that Australasian professional
> systematists are trying hard to respond to the agendas of the wider
> communities in which they live and have made strides in that direction over
> recent years. My view of the literature in my field (green plant
> systematics) is that we are highly prioritised in Australasia compared to
> the wider world. This is an important thing for funders (mostly
> governments) to appreciate.
>
> There are some who would rather spend their time hating on their own, but
> it's reassuring to know that funders don't generally respond to trolls.
>
> Best of luck for all your funding applications
>
> Rob
>
>
>
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