Global Taxonomy Initiative
Confronting the taxonomic impediment to biodiversity conservation
Effective conservation and management of biodiversity depends in large part on our understanding of taxonomy. Unfortunately, inadequate taxonomic information and infrastructure, coupled with declining taxonomic expertise, hinders our ability to make informed decisions about conservation, sustainable use and sharing of the benefits derived from genetic resources. Governments, through the Convention on Biological Diversity, have acknowledged the existence of a "taxonomic impediment" to the sound management of biodiversity, and have developed the Global Taxonomic Initiative to remove or reduce the impediment.
About Global Taxonomy Initiative
This section contains information about the Global Taxonomy Initiative, which was created to remove the ‘taxonomic impediment’ to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
What is Taxonomy?
Taxonomy is the science of naming, describing and classifying organisms and includes all plants, animals and microorganisms of the world. Using morphological, behavioural, genetic and biochemical observations, taxonomists identify, describe and arrange species into classifications, including those that are new to science. Taxonomy identifies and enumerates the components of biological diversity providing basic knowledge underpinning management and implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Unfortunately, taxonomic knowledge is far from complete. In the past 250 years of research, taxonomists have named about 1.78 million species of animals, plants and micro-organisms, yet the total number of species is unknown and probably between 5 and 30 million.
What's in a Name?
Different kinds of animals, fungi and plants and microorganisms are called different ‘species’. This reflects a real biological difference – a species is defined as a potentially interbreeding group of organisms that can produce viable offspring that themselves can interbreed. Thus animals of two different species, like a horse and a zebra, cannot interbreed, while animals of the same species can. Taxonomists provide unique names for species, labels that can help us find out more about them, and enable us to be sure that we are all talking about the same thing. Of course, there are names for organisms in many languages, but it is important, for example, when discussing the hedgehog to know whether one is talking about the small spiny insectivore Erinaceus europaeus, other members of the same family, cacti of the genus Echinocerus, or the orange fungus Hydnum repandum, all of which have the same ‘common’ name in English. For this reason the Latin ‘scientific’ name, is given as a unique universal identifier.
How to Name a Species: the Taxonomic Process1
Taxonomists begin by sorting specimens to separate sets they believe represent species. Once the specimens are sorted the next job is to see whether or not they already have names. This may involve working through identification guides, reading descriptions written perhaps 200 years ago, and borrowing named specimens from museums or herbaria to compare with the sample. Such comparison may involve external characters, need to dissect internal structures, or even molecular analysis of the DNA. If there is no match the specimens may represent a new species, not previously given a name. The taxonomist then has to write a description, including ways in which the new species can be distinguished from others, and make up a name for it, in a Latin format. The name and the description must then be properly published so that other taxonomists can see what has been done, and be able to identify the species themselves. From finding the specimens to the name appearing in print can take several years.
Why is Taxonomy Important?
It provides the foundation of our understanding of biological diversity. Global biodiversity is being lost at an unprecedented rate as a result of human activities, and decisions must be taken now to combat this trend. But how do decision-makers decide where to establish protected areas if they don't know what is being protected? How can regulators identify and combat harmful invasive species if they cannot distinguish them from native species? How do developing countries ensure that they reap the benefits of the use of their biological diversity, if they don't know the biological diversity that is being used? Taxonomy provides basic understanding about the components of biodiversity which is necessary for effective decision-making about conservation and sustainable use. For more information on the benefits of taxonomy.
Taxonomy to Combat Invasive Alien Species
Under the Operational objective 5 of the Global Taxonomy Initiative ("Within the work on cross-cutting issues of the Convention include key taxonomic objectives to generate information needed for decision-making in conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and its components") is Planned Activity 15: Invasive alien species.
Taxonomic information is essential for agencies and border authorities to detect, manage and control of Invasive Alien Species (IAS). Effective control and management measures can only be implemented when exotic species are correctly and promptly identified. Misidentifications can cost money when rapid decisions need to be taken.
Networking and sharing of experiences, information and expertise can aid in lowering the costs associated with IAS and reduce the need for eradication programmes with early detection and prevention. When eradication is needed, taxonomists can offer expertise that is central to developing the most effective yet economic and environmentally benign eradication measures.
Increased capacity-building (especially for developing countries) is necessary to identify, record and monitor invasions; provide current and accessible lists of potential and established IAS; identify potential threats to neighbouring countries; and to access information on taxonomy, ecology, genetics and control methods. It is vital that adjacent countries, and all countries along a particular pathway for invasive species, can recognize such species and concur on their nomenclature. Baseline taxonomic information on native biota at the national level is also important to ensure that IAS can be recognized and distinguished from naturally present species.
The Taxonomic Impediment Governments, through the Convention on Biological Diversity, have acknowledged the existence of a "taxonomic impediment" to the sound management of biodiversity. The purpose of the Global Taxonomic Initiative is to remove or reduce this taxonomic impediment - in other words, the knowledge gaps in our taxonomic system (including those associated with genetic systems), the shortage of trained taxonomists and curators, and the impact these deficiencies have on our ability to conserve, use and share the benefits of our biological diversity.
Identification of large, charismatic animals may be easy; however, the majority of organisms are insects, plants, fungi and microorganisms, which require expert skills for correct identification. Most of them have not been categorized or given formal scientific names. The inability to identify (or obtain identifications of) species is a major component of the taxonomic impediment. Simple-to-use identification guides for the non-taxonomist are rare and available for relatively few taxonomic groups and geographic areas. Taxonomic information is often in formats and languages that are not suitable or accessible in countries of origin, as specimens from developing countries are often studied in industrialized nations. There are millions of species still undescribed and there are far too few taxonomists to do the job, especially in biodiversity-rich but economically poorer countries. Most taxonomists work in industrialized countries, which typically have less diverse biota than in more tropical developing countries. Collection institutions in industrialized countries also hold most specimens from these developing countries, as well as associated taxonomic information.
Furthermore, although there is extensive taxonomic work on groups such as birds, mammals and higher plants, little is known of their distribution, biology, and genetics. It is estimated that only 10% of vertebrates remain to be described, but greater than 50% of terrestrial arthropods and up to 95% of protozoa are undescribed. At the most conservative estimate there are more unknown species than known ones on earth.
What Needs to be Done?
The Global Taxonomic Initiative (GTI) was created to remove or reduce the "taxonomic impediment". The GTI has been established by the Conference of the Parties (COP) to address the lack of taxonomic information and expertise available in many parts of the world, and thereby to improve decision-making in conservation, sustainable use and equitable sharing of the benefits derived from genetic resources. This is the first time in history that taxonomy has had recognition at such a high level in international policy.
The GTI was developed by governments, under the Convention on Biological Diversity, and is implemented by many actors including governments, non-government and international organizations, as well as taxonomists and the institutions where they work. Taxonomy is important for all types of ecosystems, and therefore the initiative is a cross-cutting issue applicable to all of the work under the Convention. The GTI is specifically intended to support implementation of the work programmes of the Convention on thematic and cross-cutting issues.
The Guide to the GTI
This Guide is a comprehensive introduction to the GTI, including discussion of its background, the programme of work, and links to further information. It has been developed pursuant to decisions of COP, and following the outline endorsed by the SBSTTA in recommendation X/12.
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