Experts encourage efforts to build museum infrastructure within low and middle-income countries

Museum collections are key to universities’ missions to provide education, research, public service and economic development to the state, nationally, and internationally.

A new paper titled “Global natural history infrastructure requires international solidarity, support, and investment in local capacity” in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by a consortium of institutions, including The University of New Mexico through the Museum of Southwestern Biology, points to the pressing need to collaboratively develop natural history and archaeological collection infrastructure within low and middle-income countries.

More robust infrastructure not only ensures the preservation of irreplaceable and critical scientific objects, samples and associated data in those countries, but also serves as a critical local anchor for capacity development as those countries build their own scientific and cultural communities.

The paper explores the issue in Mongolia where UNM’s Museum of Southwestern Biology has been working for 3 decades to help develop science infrastructure that would increase understanding of how environmental change is impacting natural environments and cultural resources.

According to the authors, strengthening scientific infrastructure within Mongolia is essential not only for preserving invaluable specimens but also for empowering a new generation of Mongolian and international scientists to address pressing challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss.

“Museums are hubs of education and research as they document the world’s biodiversity and establish baseline conditions. The value of helping to build this infrastructure and associated training in under-resourced countries continues to grow as new methods and technologies enable researchers to explore historical records in ways unimaginable even a decade ago.

“Current and accelerating trends on our changing planet reinforce the argument that archived materials are irreplaceable and priceless,” said Joseph Cook, Curator of Mammals at the Museum of Southwestern Biology and distinguished and regent professor of Biology.

Museum research collections can provide a critical connection which is often missing in traditional science education, but vitally important in the development of the next generation of environmental scientists.

“Throughout our decades of scientific collaborations across the globe, we’ve always seen the direct impact that collections-based experiences provide for students. The MSB is an active generator of specimen-based science and museum-based scientists, with alumni now spread across top universities and museums around the country. The benefits are clear, investment in physical and intellectual museum infrastructure pays off,” said Jon Dunnum, Ph.D., Senior Collection manager, MSB Division of Mammals.

Without locally anchored museum facilities to house reference specimens, collections, research space, and other important infrastructure, scientists lack many of the important tools needed to understand and respond to important and pressing issues, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and emergent disease.

William Taylor, a 2017 University of New Mexico alumnus with a Ph.D. in anthropology and now curator of archaeology at the University of Colorado, noted, “Mongolia’s natural and cultural heritage collections end up getting sent overseas for scientific research to take place. This means fewer chances to ask research questions important at local scales, and fewer chances to train young scientists or engage the community with these authentic collections.”

Improving repositories in under-resourced countries will require building in-country capacity, through participation of local community members in fieldwork, mentoring young professionals, and building more extensive collections.

In the paper, the authors note that current practice of exporting specimens to institutions in developed countries is a widespread problem across the Global South, perpetuating colonialism and limiting opportunities for local research and innovation.

“Scientific collections are the foundation for understanding our natural and cultural heritage and they hold the key to solving some of the problems humanity faces,” said study co-author Bazartseren Boldgiv, professor of Biology, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

By investing in local collections and expertise, Boldgiv concluded, “We can contribute to solving global problems while ensuring that the voices and priorities of local scientists are heard and respected by the global scientific community.”

The PNAS paper recommends that international projects invest in local infrastructure and capacity building as we investigate, monitor, and mitigate our changing planet.