Nature’s memory: how natural history collections help save the world скачать в хорошем качестве

Nature’s memory: how natural history collections help save the world

NatSCA Conference 2025 - Making a Difference 8th - 9th May 2025, Manchester Museum Nature’s memory: how natural history collections help save the world. Jack Ashby: University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge People who work in museums know the value of our collections, but not so long ago we were despairing at how a common perception of natural history museums was that they were simultaneously “old-fashioned” and “just for kids”. But in the last ten years, there has been a noticeable shift in recognising that these collections are the world’s greatest evidence-base for some of the greatest challenges of our time – climate change and biodiversity loss. The hope is that, armed with more stories of how our collections can help save the world, more and more decision-makers will comprehend the importance of supporting natural history collections. In this talk, I’ll share a series of examples of the impact collections-based research is making on understanding and mitigating environmental breakdown, which I came across whilst researching my new book, Nature’s Memory: Behind the Scenes at the World’s Natural History Museums. From herbaria aiding in the restoration of habitats after Australia’s catastrophic Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20, to the discovery of populations of surviving critically endangered molluscs by following museum records, there is huge power in our specimens.