knowledge of them.
As a conclusion, Chapter 21 questions what contributions collections will make to future science. In retrospect, it would have been difficult at the end of the 19th century to imagine much of the research currently being conducted on collections. The same is true for our ability to predict in detail the societal needs and scientific insights of the next century and so on. Nevertheless, two ideas can help us: on the one hand, if we consider the set of practices and principles that have allowed the conservation of the rich information residing in the collections; on the other hand, if we appreciate the evolution of systematics, the science that has served as a guideline for the establishment of a large number of the collections. These two elements already show us the future potential of research on collections.
1.4. References
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1 1 In France, law no. 2016–1087, known as “For the reconquest of biodiversity, nature and landscapes”, as well as the creation of the Office français pour la biodiversité (French Office for Biodiversity) are direct consequences of the ratification of the Nagoya Protocol, the third main objective of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which refers to access to genetic resources and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their use.
2
Natural History Collections: An Ancient Concept in a Present and Future Perspective
Philippe GRANDCOLAS
ISYEB – CNRS, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Université, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Université des Antilles, Paris, France
Natural history collections must be considered from an innovative perspective of an open science, which adds to the traditional uses (taxonomies, identifications, etc.), with all the possible new uses linked to current problems (effects of global change, research of new natural resources and sustainable development, notably with bioinspiration, etc.). These new uses are possible because of the material status of collections that contain available specimens and their possible links with digital information. New practices that only generate virtual data (citizen science, metagenomics) that is analogous to collection data must be reconnected with specimens. The concern about biases in collection building, while understandable, does not represent a serious problem if one understands that any question requires ad hoc sampling and it is therefore important to “resample” collections to answer a question. Thus, it is therefore essential that the collections last and continue to increase in size, notably via the innumerable scientific studies that should make their data accessible as part of an open science policy.
2.1. Introduction
The role and importance of natural history collections are considered differently by different people. With their ancient origins, collections may seem obsolete to some, as if they were a testimony to another era when our natural history knowledge and tools were still insufficient and required intense descriptive activity and physical storage. And yet, in the context of global change, collections constitute a formidable archive of abused and endangered biodiversity. Indeed, society and very diverse parts of the scientific community are
