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Illustration: Researchers.
campusreview.com.au
Global distribution of publications on biodiversity conservation.
Biodiversity dollars
misdirected: study
Countries with the least variety of species in nature
are publishing the most research on the topic.
R
esearch in conservation and biodiversity is occurring more
in countries that need it the least, a study has concluded.
The international research team behind “Conservation
Research is not Happening Where it is Most Needed” measured the
global distribution of academic papers on biodiversity conservation
recorded in the Thomson Reuters Zoological Records and Science
Core Collection databases. This turned up 10,036 scientific publications.
Of the world’s 17 most biodiverse nations, the US was the only
country to have more than 1000 articles. Australia, China and Brazil
were in the next category, with 304 to 1000 publications. South Africa
and India were next, with 134 to 303 publications.
The 11 other nations were in the lowest categories, with 133
publications down to zero. This included Indonesia, which is the
second most biodiverse nation, after Brazil, and Ecuador, which
houses 15 per cent of the world’s known bird species and the
Galápagos Islands.
Comparatively, nations that aren’t nearly as biodiverse, such as
the UK, Italy, Spain, Canada and Mexico, receive disproportionate
academic attention. The study also revealed much of the research
published on biodiversity conservation in Indonesia and Ecuador is
not led by local scientists. Scientists from those two countries are
also underrepresented in international forums, the study found.
Associate professor Kerrie Wilson, lead author and University of
Queensland conservationist, said this indicates a lack of investment
in research.