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The basic sciences of biological inventory have been in decline for decades. Among scientists this situation is known as "the taxonomic crisis." Only about 1.75 million of an estimated 13.6 million species that exist on this planet have been described. At the current pace of research it is estimated that it will take as long as 500 to 1200 years to "complete" the inventory of life on Earth. In this “information age,” a lack of information about nature—the lack of a basic inventory of life on Earth—is delaying conservation efforts, hindering protective legislation, preventing effective management and, perhaps worst of all, shutting out awareness. At the same time, we who are involved in natural history have all noticed a profound “graying” of our audiences. Our fears that fewer and fewer young people are interested in nature are borne out by recent research. The trends are startling—and disheartening. Young people wooed by electronic and largely indoor activity are, in fact, seeing less and less nature. And there is great concern that a populace that is without appreciation for nature will be a populace that is without concern for its conservation. But our growing ignorance of nature and natural history may have deeper roots than the lure of electronic entertainment. Scientists themselves have been chronically negligent in reaching out to a public that does not understand how science is done or even what science is. We lament disturbing societal trends and continual efforts by special interests to inject superstition and myth into our schools and governance, yet we do little to address these issues. |
The needs Drylands Institute addresses have to do with economic, scientific, and societal trends that have affected our ability to collect, analyze and desseminate meaningful information about our world. Drylands’ work advances basic biological science—especially natural history and the documentation of biodiversity, e.g. taxonomy and systematics. So, at a basic level, Drylands Institute provides information. But our efforts encompass much more than that. In very real ways, our goal is to inspire appreciation for the natural world by promoting aesthetics and an ethic of conservation. In our work, we aim to address these points: We cannot understand those things that are beyond our awareness. We do not appreciate what remains unseen. We will not save what we don't know exists. Drylands Institute's goals are to (1) make progress in biological inventory using efficient and cost-effective means and (2) increase awareness of nature and natural history study in the context of broad human concerns and values. |
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Obviously, the best way to address our bioinventory deficit is to sponsor the people doing taxonomy, systematics and natural history. And a major part of this endeavor is publishing their original research. Basic information about organisms and biotic communities is the basis for sound conservation and management. And making the information available as bilingual publications is absolutely essential for less developed countries if progress is to be made in conservation, capacity-building and ethical development where most of the world’s biodiversity occurs. Our experience is that there is no lack of talent in taxonomy, systematics and natural history. However, many of the people who do this work are not employed by research institutions, universities or museums. Many of these people work in relative obscurity, not for love of money and not for accolades of the public or the press. These "citizen scientists" face significant obstacles, largely financial, in getting their work done, however. What these people need is assistance with fieldwork, curation, editing and designing publications, obtaining equipment, data entry, permits, publishing, and other jobs—all things that can be done more effectively by an organization. Drylands Institute provides institutional support, administrative assistance and technical oversight to speed bioinventory/natural history work. This assistance frees these talented people to focus on what is most important. The publishing of identification manuals, field guides, natural histories, and more involved taxonomic works is a direct way to inspire appreciation, too, especially if those books are affordable, accessible and aesthetically pleasing. But there are other ways that Drylands is promoting natural history and its study. Art and natural history share a long and distinguished history of collaboration. Today various technological advances and equipment, their widening availability, decreasing cost and increasing portability allow us to document and show organisms in ways not possible just a few years ago. Many artists are incorporating computer-based programming, visual imaging—including various forms of microscopy or scanning, audio recording, or other sensory experiences into their art. These trends are creating a distinctly new convergence for art and science that informs both disciplines. And by working with artists, we are finding new ways of documenting nature, new ways of promoting public appreciation and awareness and new ways of involving other segments of society in documenting the miraculous, beautiful, and awe-inspiring biological wealth of this our planet Earth. |
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