Summary
The All Species Foundation (stylized as ALL Species Foundation) was an organization aiming to catalog all species on Earth by 2025 through their All Species Inventory initiative.[1] The project was launched in 2000 by Kevin Kelly, Stewart Brand and Ryan Phelan.[2][3] Along with other similar efforts, the All Species Foundation was promoted as an important step forward in expanding, modernizing and digitizing the field of taxonomy.[4] The Foundation started with a large grant from the Schlinger Foundation but had difficulty finding continued funding.[5] As of 2007,[update] the project is no longer active and "hands off [its] mission to the Encyclopedia of Life".[2]
The All Species Foundation received some critique for its approach to defining and identifying species. An open letter expressed concern over the species problem, a fundamental issue in taxonomy of what exactly defines a species. The letter argued that failing to acknowledge and account for this fundamental issue could undermine the use of the database for conservation and biodiversity preservation.[6]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "A Call for the Discovery of All Life-Forms on Earth". All Species Foundation. Archived from the original on 2 February 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
- ^ a b Kelly, Kevin. "Biography". Kevin Kelly. Archived from the original on 2019-05-18. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
- ^ Hitt, Jack (December 9, 2001). "THE YEAR IN IDEAS: A TO Z.; The All-Species Inventory". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
- ^ Gewin, Virginia. "All living things, online". Nature. Springer Nature. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
- ^ "History". All Species Foundation. Archived from the original on 4 February 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
- ^ "Letter to the All Species Foundation" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-07-28.