Boldgiv Bazartseren, Lkhagva Ariuntsetseg, Edwards Scott, Stenseth Nils C, Bayarsaikhan Jamsranjav, Altangerel Dondog, Usukhjargal Dorj, Dovchin Badamgarav, Gombobaatar Sundev, Batsaikhan Nyamsuren, Warinner Christina, Hart Isaac, Galbreath Kurt, Greiman Stephen E, Malaney Jason, Murdoch James D, McLean Bryan, DeWitte Sharon N, Manzitto-Tripp Erin, Chin Karen, Karim Talia S, Simpson Carl, Stevens Nancy J, Dunnum Jonathan L, Cook Joseph A, Taylor William Timothy Treal
Department of Biology, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar 14201, Mongolia.
Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025 Feb 11;122(6):e2411232122. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2411232122. Epub 2025 Jan 30.
Amid global challenges like climate change, extinctions, and disease epidemics, science and society require nuanced, international solutions that are grounded in robust, interdisciplinary perspectives and datasets that span deep time. Natural history collections, from modern biological specimens to the archaeological and fossil records, are crucial tools for understanding cultural and biological processes that shape our modern world. At the same time, natural history collections in low and middle-income countries are at-risk and underresourced, imperiling efforts to build the infrastructure and scientific capacity necessary to tackle critical challenges. The case of Mongolia exemplifies the unique challenges of preserving natural history collections in a country with limited financial resources under the thumb of scientific colonialism. Specifically, the lack of biorepository infrastructure throughout Mongolia stymies efforts to study or respond to large-scale environmental changes of the modern era. Investment in museum capacity and training to develop locally-accessible collections that characterize natural communities over time and space must be a key priority for a future where understanding climate scenarios, predicting, and responding to zoonotic disease, making informed conservation choices, or adapting to agricultural challenges, will be all but impossible without relevant and accessible collections.
在气候变化、物种灭绝和疾病流行等全球挑战面前，科学和社会需要基于跨越漫长时间的强大跨学科视角和数据集的细致入微的国际解决方案。从现代生物标本到考古和化石记录，自然历史藏品是理解塑造我们现代世界的文化和生物过程的关键工具。与此同时，低收入和中等收入国家的自然历史藏品面临风险且资源不足，危及建设应对重大挑战所需的基础设施和科学能力的努力。蒙古的情况体现了在科学殖民主义控制下、财政资源有限的国家保护自然历史藏品所面临的独特挑战。具体而言，蒙古各地缺乏生物样本库基础设施，阻碍了对现代大规模环境变化进行研究或做出应对的努力。投资博物馆能力并开展培训，以建立随着时间推移和空间变化能够表征自然群落的、便于当地获取的藏品，对于未来而言必定是一项关键优先事项，因为如果没有相关且便于获取的藏品，那么理解气候情景、预测和应对人畜共患疾病、做出明智的保护选择或应对农业挑战几乎都将是不可能的。
