Global access to nomenclatural botanical resources: Evaluating open access availability

Societal Impact Statement Primary occurrence data (‘what, where, when’) enable study of species distribution and diversity, facilitating reactions to societal challenges from food security to climate change mitigation. Scientific names integrate information and are made concrete through reference to...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nicky Nicolson, Maarten Trekels, Quentin J. Groom, Sandra Knapp, Alan J. Paton
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2023-11-01
Series:Plants, People, Planet
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10438
_version_ 1797650509265371136
author Nicky Nicolson
Maarten Trekels
Quentin J. Groom
Sandra Knapp
Alan J. Paton
author_facet Nicky Nicolson
Maarten Trekels
Quentin J. Groom
Sandra Knapp
Alan J. Paton
author_sort Nicky Nicolson
collection DOAJ
description Societal Impact Statement Primary occurrence data (‘what, where, when’) enable study of species distribution and diversity, facilitating reactions to societal challenges from food security to climate change mitigation. Scientific names integrate information and are made concrete through reference to a type specimen. Research and conservation planning requires timely open access to this data. Around 2000 vascular plant species are described each year, and many are narrowly endemic and face conservation threats. Twenty‐four percent of those published between 2012 and 2021 is available openly, and only 12% of taxa is represented by digitised type material served from within their native range. We make several recommendations to increase open access to this vital information to support prompt conservation action and future research. Summary We review access to literature and type specimens, key resources for taxonomic research. Takeup of open access (OA) publishing in plant naming is analysed using the International Plant Names Index (IPNI) data (2012–2021), and online availability of specimens analysed using the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Integration of the World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) taxonomy and distributional data is used to examine regional variation. We found that 23% of vascular plant names are published OA, and 41% are digitally undiscoverable: contained in bibliographic works without a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) or with an unresolvable DOI. The most common OA publishing model used is ‘gold’. We also found that 30% of taxa are represented by a digitised type specimen mobilised from within the continent of their natural range and only 12% from the (more precise) country. We recommend clear article processing charge (APC) waivers for authors from low and middle income countries to better enable ‘gold’ OA and promotion of deposition repositories to better enable ‘green’ OA. Nomenclators should clearly indicate the OA status of literature and mobilise type citation data as material citations to aggregators like GBIF. Names registration systems should promote the capture of code‐recommended elements such as catalogue numbers for type specimens. Digital mobilisation of specimen metadata and images from collections based in low‐ and middle‐income countries must be accelerated to help increase in country taxonomic capacity to document and conserve plant diversity.
first_indexed 2024-03-11T16:01:24Z
format Article
id doaj.art-cf7d6be57dc448dc934c6e2598684214
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2572-2611
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-11T16:01:24Z
publishDate 2023-11-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Plants, People, Planet
spelling doaj.art-cf7d6be57dc448dc934c6e25986842142023-10-25T06:52:55ZengWileyPlants, People, Planet2572-26112023-11-015689990710.1002/ppp3.10438Global access to nomenclatural botanical resources: Evaluating open access availabilityNicky Nicolson0Maarten Trekels1Quentin J. Groom2Sandra Knapp3Alan J. Paton4Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew London UKMeise Botanic Garden Meise BelgiumMeise Botanic Garden Meise BelgiumNatural History Museum London UKRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew London UKSocietal Impact Statement Primary occurrence data (‘what, where, when’) enable study of species distribution and diversity, facilitating reactions to societal challenges from food security to climate change mitigation. Scientific names integrate information and are made concrete through reference to a type specimen. Research and conservation planning requires timely open access to this data. Around 2000 vascular plant species are described each year, and many are narrowly endemic and face conservation threats. Twenty‐four percent of those published between 2012 and 2021 is available openly, and only 12% of taxa is represented by digitised type material served from within their native range. We make several recommendations to increase open access to this vital information to support prompt conservation action and future research. Summary We review access to literature and type specimens, key resources for taxonomic research. Takeup of open access (OA) publishing in plant naming is analysed using the International Plant Names Index (IPNI) data (2012–2021), and online availability of specimens analysed using the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Integration of the World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) taxonomy and distributional data is used to examine regional variation. We found that 23% of vascular plant names are published OA, and 41% are digitally undiscoverable: contained in bibliographic works without a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) or with an unresolvable DOI. The most common OA publishing model used is ‘gold’. We also found that 30% of taxa are represented by a digitised type specimen mobilised from within the continent of their natural range and only 12% from the (more precise) country. We recommend clear article processing charge (APC) waivers for authors from low and middle income countries to better enable ‘gold’ OA and promotion of deposition repositories to better enable ‘green’ OA. Nomenclators should clearly indicate the OA status of literature and mobilise type citation data as material citations to aggregators like GBIF. Names registration systems should promote the capture of code‐recommended elements such as catalogue numbers for type specimens. Digital mobilisation of specimen metadata and images from collections based in low‐ and middle‐income countries must be accelerated to help increase in country taxonomic capacity to document and conserve plant diversity.https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10438botanical nomenclatureGBIFherbariumopen accessspecimentaxonomic distribution
spellingShingle Nicky Nicolson
Maarten Trekels
Quentin J. Groom
Sandra Knapp
Alan J. Paton
Global access to nomenclatural botanical resources: Evaluating open access availability
Plants, People, Planet
botanical nomenclature
GBIF
herbarium
open access
specimen
taxonomic distribution
title Global access to nomenclatural botanical resources: Evaluating open access availability
title_full Global access to nomenclatural botanical resources: Evaluating open access availability
title_fullStr Global access to nomenclatural botanical resources: Evaluating open access availability
title_full_unstemmed Global access to nomenclatural botanical resources: Evaluating open access availability
title_short Global access to nomenclatural botanical resources: Evaluating open access availability
title_sort global access to nomenclatural botanical resources evaluating open access availability
topic botanical nomenclature
GBIF
herbarium
open access
specimen
taxonomic distribution
url https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10438
work_keys_str_mv AT nickynicolson globalaccesstonomenclaturalbotanicalresourcesevaluatingopenaccessavailability
AT maartentrekels globalaccesstonomenclaturalbotanicalresourcesevaluatingopenaccessavailability
AT quentinjgroom globalaccesstonomenclaturalbotanicalresourcesevaluatingopenaccessavailability
AT sandraknapp globalaccesstonomenclaturalbotanicalresourcesevaluatingopenaccessavailability
AT alanjpaton globalaccesstonomenclaturalbotanicalresourcesevaluatingopenaccessavailability