Benefits and principles of the Biological Survey of Canada: a model for scientific cooperation

Abstract

AbstractFor 40 years, the Biological Survey of Canada (BSC) has encouraged and organised studies of the arthropod fauna of Canada, through the wide involvement of the scientific community and the leadership of an expert steering committee. The benefits of the BSC to science include the completion of major cooperative projects to acquire and synthesise knowledge (documenting faunas in the Yukon, Canadian grasslands, and other significant regions and habitats), the assembly and organisation of information and specimens, and improved communication among entomologists. Its efforts have led to valuable monographs, scientific briefs, newsletters, and other products summarised here, including documents that are also useful to those outside entomology. Key operating principles of the BSC are identified. In particular, decisions come from broadly based scientific considerations, an approach to understanding the fauna that guarantees the scientific relevance of the work and is not offset by political or other influences. Core work is planned over the long term to ensure collaboration, focus, efficiency, integrity, quality, productivity, and delivery. The achievements of the BSC over many years confirm the effectiveness of this model for scientific cooperation.