Natural History Component of our Provincial Museum System

Recently a scientific report was published in The Island Magazine which indicated that

“the insect fauna of Prince Edward Island is the most poorly documented of any province in Canada.”

At a time when biodiversity is becoming an important global issue, in many cases we are simply unaware of what organisms currently exist on the Island.

The same report indicated that 608 new species in one family of insects were recently located in PEI that had never been previously recorded. This was simply a matter of lack of research in the past but indicates broadly the lack of knowledge that currently exists. It is becoming increasingly important to establish biological benchmarks to measure when there are changes caused by climate change and/or the arrival of invasive species. These benchmarks could also be used in the development of effective conservation and management strategies in the future. Therefore, it is of great importance that these benchmarks are established through research, which is a key function of a provincial museum.

Increasingly the value of scientific research is being appreciated as fundamental for any jurisdiction yet we remain the only province in Canada where there is no scientific capacity within the provincial museum related to our natural history. Leaving such significant documentation solely to volunteers is simply not appropriate.

Simply put - we need action from our government to establish and staff the natural history component of our provincial museum system.