The colonial legacy of herbaria
Author:
Park Daniel S.ORCID, Feng XiaoORCID, Akiyama Shinobu, Ardiyani Marlina, Avendaño Neida, Barina Zoltan, Bärtschi Blandine, Belgrano Manuel, Betancur Julio, Bijmoer Roxali, Bogaerts Ann, Cano Asunción, Danihelka Jirí, Garg Arti, Giblin David E., Gogoi Rajib, Guggisberg Alessia, Hyvärinen Marko, James Shelley A., Sebola Ramagwai J., Katagiri Tomoyuki, Kennedy Jonathan A., Komil Tojibaev Sh., Lee Byoungyoon, Lee Serena M.L., Magri Donatella, Marcucci Rossella, Masinde Siro, Melnikov Denis, Mráz Patrik, Mulenko Wieslaw, Musili Paul, Mwachala Geoffrey, Nelson Burrell E., Niezgoda Christine, Sepúlveda Carla Novoa, Orli Sylvia, Paton Alan, Payette Serge, Perkins Kent D., Ponce Maria Jimena, Rainer HeimoORCID, Rasingam L., Rustiami Himmah, Shiyan Natalia M., Bjorå Charlotte S., Solomon James, Stauffer Fred, Sumadijaya Alex, Thiébaut Mélanie, Thiers Barbara M., Tsubota Hiromi, Vaughan Alison, Virtanen RistoORCID, Whitfeld Timothy J. S., Zhang Dianxiang, Zuloaga Fernando O., Davis Charles C.ORCID
Abstract
AbstractHerbarium collections shape our understanding of the world’s flora and are crucial for addressing global change and biodiversity conservation. The formation of such natural history collections, however, are not free from sociopolitical issues of immediate relevance. Despite increasing efforts addressing issues of representation and colonialism in natural history collections, herbaria have received comparatively less attention. While it has been noted that the majority of plant specimens are housed in the global North, the extent of this disparity has not been rigorously quantified to date. Here, by analyzing over 85 million specimen records and surveying herbaria across the globe, we assess the colonial legacy of botanical collections and how we may move towards a more inclusive future. We demonstrate that colonial exploitation has contributed to an inverse relationship between where plant biodiversity exists in nature and where it is housed in herbaria. Such disparities persist in herbaria across physical and digital realms despite overt colonialism having ended over half a century ago, suggesting ongoing digitization and decolonization efforts have yet to alleviate colonial-era discrepancies. We emphasize the need for acknowledging the inconvenient history of herbarium collections and the implementation of a more equitable, global paradigm for their collection, curation, and use.
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Reference42 articles.
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