TRENDING SCIENCE: All creatures great and small: plan to make list of all species
There’s a reason why no such list exists yet, despite attempts spanning several centuries. Because of disagreement and even confusion over classification, the scientific community hasn’t been able to undertake such a daunting task. Research published in the journal ‘PLOS Biology’(opens in new window) presents how to go about creating an agreed list of all the world’s species. Several lists are currently circulating, but even though information is more accessible than ever before, scientists, governments and conservation organisations don’t have an agreed set of rules about listing and crediting nature’s wonders. “The more people you have working on a group, the more lists you will have,” co-author Prof. Frank E. Zachos, curator of the Natural History Museum Vienna, told ‘The Guardian’(opens in new window). Debates on how to define species are inevitable because nature is continuously evolving. Prof. Zachos uses family as an example: “It’s like delineating your own family. You will include your cousins, probably your second cousins. Third, fourth, fifth – where do you draw the line? Any such line will be arbitrary and ultimately a matter of taste.” “Listing all species may sound routine, but [it] is a difficult and complex task,” lead author Prof. Stephen T. Garnett of Charles Darwin University in Australia told ‘Science X’(opens in new window). “Currently no single, agreed list of species is available.”
10-point solution for an authoritative list
The team of researchers outlines 10 principles for creating and managing a list of all species. They specify that the list needs to be based on science, support the scientific community’s requirements, be transparent when it comes to decision-making, be kept separate from the naming of species and be set up so as to not limit academic freedom. In addition, the list must be as consistent as possible concerning taxonomy, maintain records of its archived versions, be developed by recognised contributors, have traceable entries, and take into account both global diversity and local knowledge of such diversity. The list also includes a defined role for taxonomists. “Importantly, it clearly defines the roles of taxonomists—the scientists who discover, name and classify species—and stakeholders such as conservationists and government and international agencies,” explained co-author Dr Kevin R. Thiele, Director of Taxonomy Australia. “While taxonomists would have the final say on how to recognize and name species, the process ensures that stakeholders’ needs are considered when deciding between differing taxonomic opinions.”
Can we have a universally adopted list?
“Developing a single, agreed list of species won’t halt extinction,” adds Prof. Garnett, “but it’s an important step in managing and conserving all the world’s species, great and small, for this and future generations.” In their paper, the authors conclude: “If realised, an authoritative global species list will be a remarkable achievement, both for global science and as an important part of a package of measures to respond to global challenges ... A global taxonomic list will transcend borders, individual preferences, politics, and history ... Its consequences, however, may be revolutionary.” This paper is the first in a series of publications that will explain how a global index of species would be managed.