National significance of natural history collections in Switzerland
Archives and resources for modern science
Biological and geoscience collections form an important part of our rich scientific heritage and provide the basis for much of what we know today about our planet and how we humans have influenced it. Natural history collections help us to understand our past and present better, thereby providing a basis for predicting the future. They also serve as biobanks for preserving the Earth’s organismic and genomic diversity, and must not only be maintained, but also supplemented so that scientists can continue to document and explore life on Earth. As new investigative techniques emerge, we can discover more from studying such intact and well-preserved collections.
Switzerland’s natural history collections consisting of approximately 61 million specimens preserved in public museums, botanical gardens, universities and similar institutions constitute a national treasure, containing a wealth of stored information for science and society. Researchers’ access to these collections is often hampered because the determination and digital inventorying of specimens in the collections are incomplete.
This report describes the natural history collections in Switzerland and their value for research, education and the public sector. It also makes recommendations for measures and other steps to be taken to preserve and valorise these collections. Making these collections digitally accessible and developing them further, will greatly benefit Swiss science and society generally.
Edizione / Volume: Vol. 14, N°2, 2019
Dichiarazione Pagina: 36
Numero standard: DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.1481727
Fonte: Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences (2019) National significance of natural history collections in Switzerland. Swiss Academies Reports 14 (2).
Temi associati
Written by and for persons curating, preparing or managing natural history collections, this handbook intends to make existing knowledge easily available and transferable. It gathers specific actions relevant for the conservation of natural history objects, the coordinated digitisation of associated data and the development of a modern digital infrastructure. This handbook should facilitate the long-term utilisation of Swiss natural history collections data for science and society.
Immagine: Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) • Platform BiologyThe federal government is promoting an improved access to natural science collections with a total amount of CHF 12.37 million until 2024. The digitised collections provide unique data for climate, biodiversity or agricultural research, for example. To this end, the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) has launched the Swiss Natural History Collections Network, SwissCollNet, to collaborate with museums, universities, and botanical gardens in laying the foundations for the digitisation and long-term management and use of the collections.
Immagine: ETHZ-BIB/Pierre Kellenberger
Landwirtschaft, Artenschutz, Verkehrsinfrastrukturen – viele Erkenntnisse basieren auf Wissen aus naturwissenschaftlichen Sammlungen. In der Schweiz lagern über 60 Millionen Objekte verteilt in allen Kantonen – ein unschätzbarer Wert für die Wissenschaft.
Immagine: © Plattform Biologie
La Suisse tend à faire mauvais usage de ses vastes collections de sciences naturelles, lesquelles contiennent plus de 60 millions d'objets. À l'heure actuelle, seulement 17 % des objets sont enregistrés numériquement et donc réellement accessibles pour l'évaluation scientifique. C'est ce que montre le rapport «Importance nationale des collections suisses de sciences naturelles» de l'Académie suisse des sciences naturelles (SCNAT). Par conséquent, la SCNAT préconise d’ investir davantage pour faire en sorte que les collections constituent une infrastructure de recherche réellement efficace.
Immagine: Naturhistorisches Museum Basel
Agriculture, protection de l’environnement, infrastructures de transport : de nombreuses découvertes dans ces domaines sont fondées sur des connaissances provenant des collections de sciences naturelles. Plus de 60 millions d’objets sont stockés dans les différents cantons suisses. Ils ne sont cependant que difficilement utilisables pour la recherche moderne, car ils sont déterminés et classifiés de manière lacunaire et seul 17% des données relatives à ces objets est digitalisé. Pour soutenir durablement la Suisse fédérale comme place scientifique et site d’innovation, il convient de préserver son savoir d’expert et de promouvoir une infrastructure virtuelle pour la mise en réseau des collections d’objets et des bases de données. Des chercheuses et chercheurs planifient une stratégie visant à protéger les collections et à encourager leur utilisation par les scientifiques, les milieux de l’économie et la société.
Swiss Academies Reports
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- The State of Science Communication in Switzerland
- Livre blanc de la radiochimie en Suisse
- Priority Themes for Swiss Sustainability Research
- National significance of natural history collections in Switzerland
- A Conflict Sensitive Approach to Field Research – Doing Any Better?
- Il potenziale dell’uso improprio e la bioprotezione nella ricerca biologica
- Coup de projecteur sur le climat suisse
- Utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge in academic research
- Agreement on Access and Benefit-sharing for Academic Research
- Mit Wissenschaft die Politik erreichen
- Baromètre de la relève MINT en Suisse
- A future for the historic transportation landscape Gotthard
- Nachhaltiger Umgang mit natürlichen Ressourcen
- L’acqua in Svizzera – una panoramica
- Kreislaufwirtschaft - Die Bewirtschaftung natürlicher Ressourcen
- Le piante geneticamente modificate ed il loro significato per un’agricoltura sostenibile in Svizzera
- Lösungsansätze für die Schweiz im Konfliktfeld erneuerbare Energien und Raumnutzung
- Repenser l'énergie
Contatto
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