Taxonomy is the science that detects, describes, names and, through the application of the theory of evolution, classifies all organisms. Through this process taxonomists have achieved far-going causal understanding of past and present biodiversity.

Taxonomy has different complementary levels:

• Alpha-taxonomy, also known as descriptive taxonomy, identifies and describes the basic units of Earth's diversity (species).

• Beta-taxonomy, also known as systematic taxonomy, on the other hand is not primarily interested in the discrimination of discrete taxonomic variation, but constructs hierarchical classifications that reflect evolutionary relationships.

• Gamma-taxonomy seeks to understand the processes that drive taxon formation and evolution in general.

Clearly, these three branches are intimately inter-connected since understanding how biodiversity naturally arises, evolves and disappears is needed to recognise inter-and intra-specific variation, identify and name its units and build meaningful (i.e. reflecting common descent) classifications for them.

However, taxonomy - and especially alpha-taxonomy- has during the last century lost quite a bit of the cutting edge splendor it previously lodged (especially in the 18th and 19th century when protagonists such as Linnaeus, Cuvier, Lamarck, Darwin, Wallace and Haeckel were active). The cause of this present calamitous state is not easy to trace, but can (at least partially) be attributed to a fund- and brain drain to other more experimental, less-comparative, disciplines (e.g. cytology, genetics, biochemistry, physiology and ecology) in the past decades.

However, with the current realisation that large scale-habitat destruction and overexploitation of natural resources result in unprecedented rates of species-extinctions and co-occurring alterations in functioning and redundancy of ecosystems, the need for sound taxonomic research is acknowledged by virtually all conservationists.

Yet, in the 21st century the so-called taxonomic impediment, i.e. the lack of taxonomic (inclusive of genetic) information, taxonomic and curatorial expertise and infrastructure in many parts of the world, has become the Damocles Sword above the heads of conservationists and policy makers. This taxonomic impediment roughly plays at two levels:

• taxonomists and curators in developed countries, where historically the bulk of taxonomic collections, infrastructure and know-how have accumulated, currently suffer to a lesser or greater extent from a lack of prestige and funds;

• taxonomists and curators in developing countries, where the bulk of biodiversity is generally located, are crippled by a lack of human, infrastructural and financial resources.

More on the taxonomic impediment can be read here.

More on ‘Why taxonomy matters' can be read in the case studies compiled by BioNET INTERNATIONAL.