An image of NMMNHS Bioscience Collections. Courtesy photo
NMMNHS News:
Albuquerque, NM – A paper co-authored by New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science Biosciences Curator Dr. Jason Malaney on the need to collaboratively develop collection infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries was published in the world-renowned journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“Projects like this showcase the value of local and international partnerships.” said New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science (NMMNHS) Executive Director Dr. Anthony Fiorillo. ” Our museum is proud to work with partners in our own backyard and around the world, and one such collaboration in Mongolia yielded a groundbreaking study published in one of the scientific world’s most prestigious journals.”
The study, titled “Global natural history infrastructure requires international solidarity, support, and investment in local capacity: lessons from Mongolia,” underscores the importance of preserving irreplaceable scientific specimens and data while fostering local scientific capacity and cultural development. The paper is co-authored by a consortium of institutions including the NMMNHS Biosciences Department, and Malaney’s groundbreaking research in Mongolia serves as a case study.
The paper demonstrates that current and accelerating trends on our changing planet reinforce the argument that archived materials are irreplaceable and priceless. Moreover, museum collections help scientists decipher how wildlife responses in places like Mongolia and New Mexico reveal critical insights into environmental change.
“Natural history museums are hubs of education, outreach, and research because they document the world’s biodiversity and establish baseline conditions,” Malaney said. “The value of helping build this infrastructure and developing training efforts in under-resourced countries continues to grow, especially as new methods and technologies enable researchers to explore questions that unite historical and modern records in ways unimaginable a decade ago.”
In Mongolia, NMMNHS has been collaborating with worldwide partners through the National Science Foundation-funded Steppe Parasite Networks (STEPP-NET) project to enhance science infrastructure. This initiative aims to deepen understanding of how environmental changes impact natural environments and cultural resources.
The paper notes that the lack of locally anchored museum facilities in under-resourced countries poses significant challenges for researchers. Without proper repositories to house reference specimens, research materials, and laboratory spaces, scientists are hindered in their efforts to tackle urgent issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and emergent diseases.
“Scientific collections are the foundation for understanding our natural and cultural heritage, and they hold the key to solving many global challenges,” said Dr. Bazartseren Boldgiv, a study co-author and professor at the National University of Mongolia. “By investing in local collections and expertise, we can contribute to solving global problems while ensuring that the voices and priorities of local scientists are respected within the global scientific community.”
The published paper advocates for international projects to prioritize local infrastructure and capacity-building initiatives as a cornerstone of efforts to study, monitor, and mitigate the effects of our changing planet. The full study is available HERE.
About the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science is a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, under the leadership of the Board of Trustees of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science. Programs and exhibits are generously supported by the New Mexico Museum of Natural History Foundation, through the generous support of donors. Established in 1986, the mission of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science is to preserve and interpret the distinctive natural and scientific heritage of our state through extraordinary collections, research, exhibits, and programs designed to ignite a passion for lifelong learning. The NMMNHS offers exhibitions, programs, and workshops in Geoscience, including Paleontology and Mineralogy, Bioscience, and Space Science. It is the Southwest’s largest repository for fossils and includes a Planetarium and a large format 3D DynaTheater.