In light of Duke's announcement that it will close its herbarium, Cassandra Quave points out very clearly the importance of herbaria for scientific research. She runs the one at Emory. Everyone interested in biology and science should worry about this.
Had to incorporate many university herbaria into NMW when I ran that; now 15 years later researchers at one university have realised they need one for teaching… too late, too late
Yes! Critical to have a teaching collection anywhere botany is taught. Beyond that, any university researching climate change and environment absolutely needs a research collection. There is a climate commitment initiative https://climate.duke.edu/ and yet plants I suppose are not a part of it?
I am so shocked at this. I used the Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas as an undergrad in Systematic Botany at LSU in the early 70s. I continued to use that book throughout my entire career in crop science teaching and grassland ecology research. I still use it. The book would not have been written or illustrated without the existence of herbaria. Such sad news.
Absolutely! Herbaria are critical to the creation of field guides that teach us about the world in which we live. Thank you for sharing this perspective 💚
Botanical history, like other history is being erased for financial reasons, and perhaps the mistaken thought that a genetic sequence can somehow replace the totality of the organism in understanding its characteristics. There's also the issue that plant knowledge might contribute a bit too much self sufficiency to an individual.
It remains true that the best way to preserve plants is to teach people that they're useful to humans. Same goes for Herbaria. (Sharing is caring)
You're absolutely right! We can't replace specimens simply with genetic information. This disregard for the historic value of these specimens and their role in protecting biodiversity research in the future in simply appalling.
Collecting and categorizing things is a stereotypical western cultural practice. And both of those things are on the way out, it seems. Passing on botanical knowledge informally to the next generation is more important now than ever.
Comment continued: As a plant ecologist, I have had to make plant collections for my masters' and Ph.D. research as well as for other projects, because as you have said, one has to know exactly what plants one is working with. And as a university student and recent graduate I have worked in herbaria (including Harvard University (!) (which I found terribly snooty)), so I know something about what is involved in maintaining one.
As I think I said in an earlier comment, I super admire your work and if I were not 79, I would apply to be one of your next years's graduare students.
Hello again, Dr. Quave, I must say that when I subscribed to your newsletter, I didn't expect to encounter a botanical "soulmate" who would say exactly what I think about the value of botanical collections and the tragedy of universities' adoption of a business model for education. I have been raving internally about this situation for over 30 years. And I basically gave up on academia and continued as an environmental bureaucrat when I stsrted reading the classifieds that said you could have a university faculty job if you brought your salary and research funding with you.
Alas, at the moment I am not in a position to help you guys financially, and I wish I could jump on a plane and volunteer in your herbarium.
Thanks, Cathy! We need more voices in the fight. Anything you can do to raise awareness is a huge help! We need to save these precious collections and educate folks so that they can understand that herbaria are not a relict of science past, but the very key to our future.
In light of Duke's announcement that it will close its herbarium, Cassandra Quave points out very clearly the importance of herbaria for scientific research. She runs the one at Emory. Everyone interested in biology and science should worry about this.
Thank you, Janisse! I'm so upset about this news. We can't do science on ecology, environment, and the planet without these collections!
Had to incorporate many university herbaria into NMW when I ran that; now 15 years later researchers at one university have realised they need one for teaching… too late, too late
Yes! Critical to have a teaching collection anywhere botany is taught. Beyond that, any university researching climate change and environment absolutely needs a research collection. There is a climate commitment initiative https://climate.duke.edu/ and yet plants I suppose are not a part of it?
I am so shocked at this. I used the Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas as an undergrad in Systematic Botany at LSU in the early 70s. I continued to use that book throughout my entire career in crop science teaching and grassland ecology research. I still use it. The book would not have been written or illustrated without the existence of herbaria. Such sad news.
Absolutely! Herbaria are critical to the creation of field guides that teach us about the world in which we live. Thank you for sharing this perspective 💚
Botanical history, like other history is being erased for financial reasons, and perhaps the mistaken thought that a genetic sequence can somehow replace the totality of the organism in understanding its characteristics. There's also the issue that plant knowledge might contribute a bit too much self sufficiency to an individual.
It remains true that the best way to preserve plants is to teach people that they're useful to humans. Same goes for Herbaria. (Sharing is caring)
You're absolutely right! We can't replace specimens simply with genetic information. This disregard for the historic value of these specimens and their role in protecting biodiversity research in the future in simply appalling.
Collecting and categorizing things is a stereotypical western cultural practice. And both of those things are on the way out, it seems. Passing on botanical knowledge informally to the next generation is more important now than ever.
Comment continued: As a plant ecologist, I have had to make plant collections for my masters' and Ph.D. research as well as for other projects, because as you have said, one has to know exactly what plants one is working with. And as a university student and recent graduate I have worked in herbaria (including Harvard University (!) (which I found terribly snooty)), so I know something about what is involved in maintaining one.
As I think I said in an earlier comment, I super admire your work and if I were not 79, I would apply to be one of your next years's graduare students.
May God and the Buddhas bless your work.
Cathy Stone
Hello again, Dr. Quave, I must say that when I subscribed to your newsletter, I didn't expect to encounter a botanical "soulmate" who would say exactly what I think about the value of botanical collections and the tragedy of universities' adoption of a business model for education. I have been raving internally about this situation for over 30 years. And I basically gave up on academia and continued as an environmental bureaucrat when I stsrted reading the classifieds that said you could have a university faculty job if you brought your salary and research funding with you.
Alas, at the moment I am not in a position to help you guys financially, and I wish I could jump on a plane and volunteer in your herbarium.
Thanks, Cathy! We need more voices in the fight. Anything you can do to raise awareness is a huge help! We need to save these precious collections and educate folks so that they can understand that herbaria are not a relict of science past, but the very key to our future.
I've learned more about the leadership's decision here, and the more I've learned the more appalling it is. Here are two key resources: 1) A news release from the Duke Chronicle which shares portions of the Dean's letter (verbatim) on the decision: https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2024/02/duke-university-plants-biodiversity-herbarium-climate-commitment-kathleen-pryer ; and 2) a Change.org petition to urge the Duke administration to reverse this decision. Please sign! https://chng.it/tX6R5JgD