Do species still matter in biodiversity conservation? Öppen föreläsning med hedersdoktor Sandra Knapp

Sandra Knapp, forskare verksam vid Natural History Museum i London och hedersdoktor vid Stockholms universitet håller en öppen föreläsning den 28 september. Föreläsningen hålls på engelska. Om föreläsningen: The conservation of life on Earth has become an international priority since the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) was first conceived in 1992. The target set in 2002 to “achieve, by 2010, a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national levels” was famously not met, and had at its core the assumption that we knew what biodiversity we had, against which we could measure its loss. Species are often seen as the currency of biodiversity – species-rich areas like the Amazon basin have been considered more “valuable” than species-poor regions such as the Siberian tundra. In recent years a shift has occurred, away from equating biodiversity with taxonomic diversity to a conception of biodiversity as underpinning ecosystem services that benefit humankind. So does this mean that taxonomy – the science of describing and delimiting taxa like species and discovering their relationships – no longer has a role in conservation? I will explore some reasons why taxonomy is critical for effective conservation, and also issues relating to how taxonomists and conservation biologists might better connect their currently diverging worlds. För mer information kontakta gärna: Birgitta Bremer,Botaniska institutionen 08-16 2790