>Once you know
>the habitat in which the species grows, it usually becomes much easier to
>find more. Knowing the habitat in which the plant is found is often more
>useful than the precise location. So I suggest you (Jan, Rick, and Toby)
>include as much habitat info along with your maps as possible.
You mention an important point, and the information on habitats and
communities shall some fine day be included in the database. But for the
time being only geographical information will be gathered for the mapping
project. In fact, detailed habitat information will be recorded alongside
with this project but will not be distributed with the maps on the web (in
order to comfort conservation minded organizations and individuals. NB:
This is not entirely what I understand by scientific method but I do not
want to endanger the project by my personal views on this controversial
subject).
> So if you guys really want to go through with this, I'm not sure if
>you've realised that you (or someone) will end up having to go to herbaria
>and writing down the location and habitat data from ALL the herbarium
>specimens, which will be one HELL of a job!
We are -I think- well aware of the kind and extent of work to be performed.
However, considerable mapping work has been published already, and as most
European herbaria contain mainly European specimens, most of the
information contained therein can rather conveniently be retrieved from
literature and existing databases.
A much more serious problem is the fact that the information from herbarium
specimens is scant and not very precise in many cases (there are of course
exceptions too numerous to cite here).
> I only saw small parts of their collections
>and imagine that the entire collections must be far more than I'd care
>to go through, not to mention writing down the info from each and every
>one. What about all the other herbaria in Europe and the world? Have you
>guys thought of this?
Yes. But it seems that the easy and boring stuff has been done already.
Therefore, I am very happy that at least a start can be made now, and that
Toby is willing to co-ordinate the input, and Rick is willing to create the
web interface.
BTW: The cp nomenclatural database is also not the result of a lazy afternoon.
All,
Again, any and all help contributing to this project is most cordially
invited. Please submit your information to build up this information system
which certainly enough will be of benefit for us all. The job is indeed not
a small one but with united forces, much is easier than the individual may
think. Thank you.
Kind regards
Jan