The total collections from 73 of the world’s largest natural history museums in 28 countries has been mapped, with these institutions holding 1.1 billion objects between them.
The study was organised by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, New York’s American Museum of Natural History Museum, and the Natural History Museum in London.
Collectively, the world’s largest natural history museums hold some 1,147,934,687 objects. The findings of the study are published in the journal Science.
“This is the first time the world’s biggest natural science collections have been surveyed together,” said Vince Smith, the Natural History Museum’s head of digital, data and informatics.
“It provides a picture of what is in those collections and a set of recommendations to improve our ability to use this global collection to guide decision-making on some of the most pressing issues facing society.
“Whether it is climate change, pandemics, biodiversity loss or food security, this global collection provides critical data on a host of topics.”
Out of the 73 institutions assessed, only three are located on the African continent, five in Asia, six in South America and seven in Oceania. The rest are found in North America and Europe.
Per a statement, the paper’s authors “recognise that this concentration is a barrier to knowledge-sharing and perpetuates power imbalances rooted in the colonial history of museum science“.
Michael Novacek, a curator in the division of paleontology and the former provost of science at the American Museum of Natural History, said natural history collections “are the evidence from which scientists derive knowledge… that can be applied to critical issues facing our planet today”.
“Evidence from which scientists derive knowledge”
“This has never been more urgent than today, as global biodiversity loss and climate change are accelerating,” he added.
The study found that the 1.1 billion objects in 73 museums are cared for by just 4,500 science staff and 4,000 volunteers. In comparison, Google employs around 140,000 people.
It also found that the polar, marine and tropical regions are underrepresented in the global collections, while arthropod and microbial diversity specimens are lacking. Additionally, just 16 percent of the objects are available to be studied digitally.
“This global view of natural science collections emphasizes their combined potential to help us act in response to the planetary crisis,” said Doug Gurr, the director of the Natural History Museum.
Images: Natural History Museum
