ACTIONS
- Protect and safeguard cultural and natural heritage
- Learning and educational opportunities
- Cultural participation/social inclusion
- Sustainable tourism
- Support research
- Employment (recruiting, training, safety)
- Energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions
- Waste management and reduction
- Transport (forms of, energy use)
- Commercial activities including copyright and IP
- Governance and management
- Security, disaster preparedness, risk reduction
- External partnerships and collaborations
SDGs
- Publication/report
- Toolkit/framework/roadmap
Museums Collections and Biodiversity Conservation
Intended Audience
“This booklet is aimed at ecologists, conservation scientists, wildlife managers, biodiversity and environmental records workers, environmental policy makers, and museum workers. It is intended to be useful for both nature conservation and museum sectors, to promote a common understanding of the potential of natural history collections, to support their effective use and development, and, most importantly, to conserve global biodiversity.”
- H. McGhie, Curating Tomorrow
2019
“We live in a time of unprecedented environmental change, with climate change, habitat alteration, pollution, invasive species and over-exploitation all contributing to species declines (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005, IPBES 2019). Biodiversity researchers, policy workers, and site and species managers work to stem the tide of declines. Museum collections play a key role, or could play a key role, through supporting biodiversity and nature conservation-related research, management and policy; they also support public education about biodiversity, although that is not the focus of this booklet. This booklet explores some of the problems biodiversity faces, and examples of how UK museum collections can help biodiversity workers meet these challenges.”
Avaiable in
- English
SDGs LINKAGES
Effective collections, including seedbanks and collections of genetic material form the subject of SDG 2.5.
Making use of collections for early warning, risk reduction and management of health risks, impacts of climate change and the impacts of disasters is the subject of SDGs 3.D, 11.5 and 13.1.
Protecting water-related ecosystems is the subject of SDG 6.6.
Development of effective collections and collections facilities, and web-based digital access to collections information to support discovery and use supports SDGs 9.1; enhancing scientific research supports SDG 9.5. Supporting developing countries to make greater use of specimens and data in natural history collections would support SDG 9.A.
Ensuring staff have the skills to support research and researchers supports SDGs 4.4 and 9.5.
Protection of natural heritage, both in museums and more widely, forms part of SDG 11.4.
The resource supports many of the targets in SDGs 14 and 15.
The resource also helps support SDGs around partnerships, notably SDGs 17.16 and 17.17.
Recommendations for effective policies between the museum sector and nature conservation sectors supports SDG 17.14.
Click on the SDG Target to discover Our Collections Matter indicators
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Collections development related to genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants, farmed and domesticated animals (notably of local or at-risk varieties) and related wild species, for example in herbaria, museums, seed and gene banks, and seed libraries.
- Number of educational programmes related to genetic diversity of domesticated plants, animals and wild relatives.
- Number of educational programmes related to fair and equitable benefits of use of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, following international agreements (e.g. Nagoya Protocol).
- Number of educational and awareness programmes for people to ensure that they are aware of their rights and protections in terms of traditional knowledge, and exploitation of genetic resources.
- Number of research activities that help understand traditional knowledge, and genetic diversity of crop plants and animals.
- Ensure that producers of crop plants and animals are fairly compensated.
- Policies and procedures in place to ensure seed banks are soundly managed, in terms of risk management and emergency planning.
- Policies and procedures in place to ensure legal compliance with fair and equitable benefits of use of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, following international agreements (e.g. Nagoya Protocol).
- Number of partnerships at national, regional and international levels, as appropriate, to soundly manage seed and plant banks.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of collecting initiatives that aim to build capacity for risk reduction to national and global health risks, for example by storing and preserving collections that may be of use in post-disaster scenarios, or that can be used in early warning and risk communication activities.
- Number of educational programmes incorporating perspectives on early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks.
- Number of awareness raising programmes that target marginalized and vulnerable groups most exposed to health risks.
- Plans in place for early warning, risk reduction and management to national and global health risks.
- Relationships and partnerships in place for risk reduction and management in light of national and global health risks.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of young people and adults in skills-development activities and programmes drawing on collections, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
- Increase in number of young people and adults in such programmes.
- Number and proportion of staff who have received training in the last year, to better support their contribution to the SDGs.
- Programs and processes in place to ensure the availability of a skilled workforce.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes in a good ecological condition.
- Information on, programmes relating to, and partnerships relating to water-related ecosystems drawing on collections and collections-based institutions in place, to support protection of these as effective nature-based solutions and ecosystem services.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Development of research-useful collections to support reliable, sustainable and resilient use by researchers and others.
- Number and proportion of collections facilities and stores that support economic development and human well-being.
- Number and proportion of collections facilities and stores that provide affordable and equitable access for all.
- Investment in collections facilities.
- Inclusion of collections information in regional and transborder initiatives, notably via digital access for discoverability.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and proportion of collections facilities that effectively support research and researchers.
- Number and proportion of staff who are appropriately skilled to undertake and support collections-based research.
- Expenditure on initiatives to enhance and upgrade collections facilities.
- Numbers of staff engaged in supporting and developing research use based on collections.
- Number of initiatives to encourage innovation drawing on collections.
- Increase in number of research and development workers per 1 million people.
- Increase in public and private research and development spending being used to develop and make use of collections.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Plans in place to support development of sustainable and resilient infrastructure in developing countries through financial, technological and technical support, for example through: i. joint projects, ii. funding bids, iii. sharing equipment, collections and collections information as appropriate, iv. in order to support development of high-quality infrastructures for sustainable development, research and innovation.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Total expenditure (public and private) per capita spent on the preservation, protection and conservation of all cultural and natural heritage, by type of heritage.
- Plans, policies and procedures in place for the safe use of collections for a variety of purposes, protecting and safeguarding both collections and those who use them.
- Plans, policies and procedures in place for the identification, safeguarding and protection of cultural and natural heritage at risk.
- Collecting programmes in place to protect, safeguard and make use of cultural and natural heritage, addressing the needs of communities and stakeholders, and ensuring that collections can be an effective resource for sustainable development.
- Number and diversity of educational, awareness-raising, research programmes, and partnerships that aim to strengthen protection of cultural and natural heritage.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Collections-based research that supports the understanding and management of disasters of all kinds.
- Plans in place for public education and awareness drawing on collections and collections-based institutions to reduce exposure and vulnerability to disasters of all kinds.
- Plans in place to ensure collections-based institutions steadily work to reduce their contributions to disaster risk, for example by reducing pollution and waste of all kinds.
- Plans in place to ensure collections-based institutions, and people related to them (including workers) are protected from economic losses as a result of disasters.
- Plans in place to provide special support/protection to poor and vulnerable people and groups in and following disasters.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Plans in place for near and longer term to withstand and actively adapt to climate-related hazards and natural disasters.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of collections-related programmes, for example research and education, that aim to reduce marine pollution.
- Quantity, and reduction, of waste of all sorts, with plans in place to eliminate waste of all sorts as soon as possible.
- Quantity, and reduction, of plastic waste, with plans in place to eliminate the production and release of plastic waste as soon as possible.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of marine and coastal areas in a good ecological condition.
- Numbers of educational and awareness-raising programmes, research activities, and partnerships drawing on collections aiming to support protection of marine and coastal areas.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Quantity and reduction of carbon emissions.
- Number of activities drawing on collections that support scientific activity to reduce ocean acidification.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of activities drawing on collections that support sustainable management of fisheries.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of collections-based activities that support designation, management and science for the protection of marine and coastal protection areas.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of collections-related activities that aim to increase scientific knowledge, and develop research capacity for the conservation and management of marine biodiversity, and to support its sustainable use.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of terrestrial and inland freshwater systems in a good ecological condition.
- Information on, educational programmes, collections development, research and partnerships relating to terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems drawing on collections in place.
- Policies relating to collections and their use aligned with international agreements for conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of forests in a good ecological condition.
- Information on, programmes relating to, collections development, and partnerships relating to forests drawing on collections in place, to support their protection and effective functioning.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of soils and land area in a good ecological condition, with reference to desertification, drought and floods.
- Information on, programmes relating to, collections development, and partnerships relating to soils and land use (with reference to desertification, drought and floods) drawing on collections in place, to support their protection and effective functioning.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in a good ecological condition.
- Information on, programmes relating to, collections development, and partnerships relating to mountain ecosystems and their biodiversity drawing on collections in place, to support their protection and effective functioning.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and proportion of habitats, notably endangered habitats, and species with favourable conservation status, with special reference to locally, nationally and globally endangered species.
- Information on, programmes relating to, collections development, and partnerships relating to habitats and species drawing on collections in place, to support their protection and continued existence.
- Measures taken to enhance biodiversity value of green space associated with collections institutions.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Policies, plans and agreements in place for access and benefit sharing relating to use of collections, in line with the Nagoya Protocol (notably relating to natural history collections, gene banks, tissue banks, seed banks).
- Effective communication and dissemination methods in place to promote access to resources, and access to relevant policies, plans and agreements, in place.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Policies and plans in place to ensure objects and specimens of protected species (for example ivory, rhino horn) in collections are protected against theft and do not enter supply chains.
- Policies and plans in place to ensure that objects and specimens are only acquired in line with national and international legislation, or with legal dispensation.
- Information on, programmes relating to, collections development, and partnerships relating to poached and trafficked species, notably protected and endangered species, to end poaching and trafficking.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and proportion of invasive alien species for which effective measures are in place to reduce their impact on land and water ecosystems.
- Information on, programmes relating to, collections development, and partnerships relating to invasive alien species, to support their effective management, and to prevent spread and impact.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion and number of relevant plans, processes and strategies that incorporate ecosystem and biodiversity values, and their relationships with effective collections.
- Plans in place to ensure that development of collections facilities contributes to effective conservation and restoration of terrestrial ecosystems.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of policies that incorporate sustainable development considerations, linking to SDGs and targets.
- Incorporation of policy considerations from outside the collections sector into policies of collections-based institutions, to facilitate partnerships and effectiveness.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and/or increase in number, and diversity of global and international multi-stakeholder partnerships that share collection-related knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources to address the SDGs, or that otherwise involve collections-based organisations and institutions.
- Number and/or increase in number, and diversity of global and international multi-stakeholder partnerships involving developing countries that share collection-related knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources to address the SDGs.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Amount of United States dollars committed to public-private and civil society partnerships.
- Number and/or increase in number, and diversity of local, national and regional multi-stakeholder (public, public-private and civil society) partnerships that address the SDGs drawing on collections, or that otherwise involve collections-based organisations and institutions.