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Finding biotic anomalies described in specimen label text is a challenge that artificial intelligence can address
Full text linkBiodiversity specimen collectors are on the front lines of observing biotic anomalies, some of which herald early stages of significant changes (e.g., the arrival of a new disease; Pearson and Mast 2019). Online data sharing has opened new possibilities for the discovery of anomaly descriptions on collectors’ labels, but it remains a challenge to find these needles in the haystack of many millions of specimen records available at aggregators like iDigBio and Global Biodiversity Information Facility. In a recent community survey, over 200 collectors identified 170 unique words and phrases (e.g., atypical) that they would use to describe six types of anomaly (Pearson and Mast 2019). Left unanswered was the relative efficiency with which anomaly descriptions can be found using the simple presence of these words. Here, we address that question with a focus on one type of anomaly (phenological; related to the timing of life historyevents) and ask a second question: can we further improve the efficiency of anomaly description discovery by engaging artificial intelligence (AI)
Working Paper 44: Perceptions of corruption and anti-corruption efforts in Bulgaria: Results of a national survey 2023
Full text linkThe Working Paper presents the results of a nationwide survey of 1,209 individuals in Bulgaria, conducted in February to early March 2023.
The survey examined how corruption is perceived in Bulgaria by different types of respondent, and what kind of behaviour is considered acceptable.
It also looked at respondents’ perceptions of anti-corruption efforts and under which circumstances they would be more likely to report corruption to the authorities
Plant exchange networks in the 19th century – 200 years of citizen science
Full text linkPlant exchange networks in the 19th century have been investigated in a largescale study, firstly by identifying as many plant exchange organizations (PEOs) as possible and secondly by searching for exchange partners in a 19th century private herbarium from Southwest Germany, and by analysing exchange activities related to the rare central European endemic Saxifraga rosacea subsp. sponhemica (C.C.Gmel) D.A.Webb. In this paper a first overview on selected results is given: 101 PEOs – founded from 1819 to 1947 – with a total of 3000 to 5000 members have been found; they distributed 15 to 20 million specimens; 111 collectors have been identified in the exemplary private herbarium, from which specimens have been found in 27 herbaria; S. rosacea subsp. sponhemica has been collected by 242 individuals, 233 exchange partners received duplicates distributed by 12 PEOs
An integrated approach to studying tropical plant diversity – Taxonomic monographs, herbarium specimens and the sweet potato
Full text linkRecent decades have witnessed a massive increase in data accumulation, but our knowledge of the world’s biodiversity is still fragmentary: data accumulation has not been matched by a parallel taxonomic effort, and many groups of organisms have never been comprehensively studied. In the current context of climate change and biodiversity loss, we need to accelerate taxonomy and species discovery. This, however, requires a good taxonomic and phylogenetic framework, which is lacking for most groups of tropical plants. This contribution discusses the role of botanical monographs in accelerating taxonomy. We argue that the increasingly easier access to data in the world’s herbaria and the availability of DNA sequence data place botanists in an unparalleled position to produce taxonomic monographs, the forefront of taxonomic research. We illustrate the discussion with the results of a monographic study of the genus Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae). We integrated herbarium-based morphological studies with techniques of phylogenetic and genomic analysis of thousands of specimens to develop more robust species delimitation hypotheses and a comprehensive phylogenetic framework. Monographs such as ours have implications for other disciplines beyond taxonomy. We specifically show how it enabled important discoveries related to the origin of sweet potato, a worldwide staple crop
Working Paper 43: How corruption threatens the forests of Ukraine: Typology and case studies on corruption and illegal logging
No full textThis report offers a detailed deep dive into how corruption fuelled illegal logging in Ukraine during the period before the full-scale war. It explains how the Russian invasion has raised the risks of illegal logging, by increasing demand for wood and its relative value as a resource, and by reducing inspections and civil society oversight.
Building on pre-war case studies, selected interviews and a review process with various stakeholders, the report outlines the widespread corruption challenges in Ukraine's forestry sector and proposes relevant interventions in the war and reconstruction contexts.
The report identifies specific corruption patterns linked to three main types of illegal logging:
By private actors such as communities and criminal groups, who can evade justice by corrupting law enforcement officials.
By forest management officials, who sometimes obtain false paperwork to fell trees – thus easing their export abroad.
Following the illegal appropriation of forests through manipulation of land documents.
A significant proportion of wood illegally logged in Ukraine comes with (illegally obtained) permits, so can be "legally" exported to foreign markets in the European Union and elsewhere.
Both governments and the private sector in countries that import wood and/or support Ukraine's reconstruction efforts have a role to play in preventing the illegal destruction of Ukraine's forests. 
