{"id":119037,"date":"2025-04-14T13:07:28","date_gmt":"2025-04-14T11:07:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/museuciencies.cat\/el-museu-participa-en-un-estudi-que-alerta-sobre-el-declivi-de-teixit-cientific-especialitzat-en-entomologia\/"},"modified":"2025-04-16T12:49:05","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T10:49:05","slug":"el-museu-participa-en-un-estudi-que-alerta-sobre-el-declivi-de-teixit-cientific-especialitzat-en-entomologia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/museuciencies.cat\/en\/el-museu-participa-en-un-estudi-que-alerta-sobre-el-declivi-de-teixit-cientific-especialitzat-en-entomologia\/","title":{"rendered":"The Museum participates in a study that warns about the decline of entomologists"},"content":{"rendered":"

The article, published in the scientific journal Insect Systematics and Diversity<\/em>, analyzes for the first time the evolution of the ability to document the diversity of arthropods in Spain.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Amid the global biodiversity crisis, a scientific study warns of the loss of capacity of the Spanish State to document its rich diversity of insects. The research, recently published in the journal Insect Systematics and Diversity<\/a><\/em>, reviews more than one hundred and twenty years of entomological history to analyze how the scientific network dedicated to the taxonomy and description of arthropod species has evolved.<\/p>\n

The project has been coordinated by researchers from the Rey Juan Carlos University and has had the participation of twenty institutions, including the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona<\/strong>. The results show that, despite an initial growth of organizations and specialized publications during the 60s and 70s, the trend was reversed at the end of the 80s. The shift in priorities in science policy shifted attention to more modern disciplines such as genetics or molecular biology, to the detriment of classical taxonomy.<\/p>\n

One of the most revealing indicators is the decrease in the number of doctoral theses focused on insect taxonomy and faunalism: from 40% of the total number of entomology theses in 1980, it dropped to less than 2% in 2020.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite this worrying scenario for the discipline, the study also highlights the fundamental role currently played by non-academic entomological societies and the scientific collections of museums. In this sense, Berta Caballero, arthropod curator at the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona and co-author of the study, explains: “This work shows how collaborations between public institutions and amateur entomologists are essential to keep knowledge about insects alive. At the museum we are fortunate to have extraordinary specialists, who dedicate time and effort in a constant and often altruistic way.”<\/p>\n

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With the aim of contributing to reversing this decline, the \u00a0Museum’s Department of Arthropods<\/a> has recently participated in the European project INC-STEP<\/a>, led by the National Museum of Natural Sciences of Madrid and integrated within the TETTRIS<\/a> program. This initiative seeks to highlight the importance of taxonomic work and scientific reference collections, considered essential tools to face the challenges of the future in terms of biodiversity.<\/p>\n

Precisely, the work of entomologists \u2013 both professionals and volunteer collaborators \u2013 is key to advancing this knowledge. These specialists identify and describe species, study their habitats and behaviors, and detect new threats such as invasive species or emerging pathologies. Their work is essential to preserve nature and also to guide environmental policies, manage natural spaces and respond to challenges in fields such as agriculture, public health or food security. Without this expert knowledge, thousands of species could disappear before they are even described.<\/p>\n