SA’s ace collection assets

Professor Michelle Hamer, Director of Zoological Systematics at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and Acting Chief Director for SANBI’s Biosystematics Research and Biodiversity Collections, will deliver the 2015 Smith Memorial Lecture at SAIAB next Wednesday (14 October).

The lecture, which commemorates Professors Margaret and JLB Smith and their legacy of discovery and research in Ichthyology, is held annually and provides an opportunity for the public to come and find out about current trends in biodiversity research. This year the focus is on natural science collections which are accepted globally as critical research assets.

Prof Hamer poses this question: Can taxonomy and natural science collections play a meaningful role in job creation and service delivery in South Africa? Her presentation, entitled Biodiversity, taxonomy and natural science collections in South Africa, will explore some of the trends in the work of taxonomists in documenting and describing South Africa’s animal species. She will also look at the country’s collections as incredible research assets, at the opportunities for meaningful contributions to national challenges and at what needs to change to ensure that taxonomy and collections are relevant and highly valued by a wide range of stakeholders.

Inadequate resource allocation for taxonomy and for the care of natural science collections and declining capacity have been repeatedly highlighted as being in crisis over the last 40 years, but there have been few major changes in the way they operate. In 2008, the National Research Foundation (NRF) commissioned an assessment of natural science research collections in South Africa, mainly in response to concerns raised by the biodiversity research community. The main aim of this assessment was to determine the current status of collections in terms of scale and scope, governance, environmental conditions, resourcing, curation and accessibility and to make recommendations to ensure the future security and increased use of these collections. A total of 71 zoological collections in South Africa, consisting of over 15 million specimens housed at 22 institutions, were assessed to determine their current status and to make recommendations for their future security. Professor Hamer led this process and in 2013 published an in-depth assessment of zoological research collections in South Africa.

The Professor started her career as Collection Manager of the small mammal collection at the Amatole Museum in King Williams Town. Since then she has worked across a wide range of academic and research institutes and museums. She is an NRF rated scientist and has served on numerous professional bodies, government department initiatives, projects and national programmes and produced numerous technical reports on taxonomy and collections. Aside from her other current roles, she is an Honorary As-

Photo: Supplied sociate Professor of the School of Biological and Conservation Science at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and since 2012 has been Chairperson of the SAIAB Science Advisory Council.

The Smith Memorial Lecture will be held at the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) in Somerset Street, on Wednesday 14 October from 6.30pm-8.00pm. Snack and drinks will be available. Professor Michelle Hamer gives the 2015 Smith Memorial Lecture on Wednesday 14 October.

Photo: Supplied