A consortium of mammal collections in West Africa

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Résumé

Natural history collections provide crucial research infrastructure, valued for the physical voucher, biomaterial, and associated data, yet few growing
research collections exist in Africa, especially in West Africa. ‘Private’ collections are present in West African universities or scientific institutions
that are held as research materials but uncatalogued and without standard management plans. Without formalization, these collections remain
inaccessible to the research community. The expertise required to grow, manage, and develop these collections for research and other
biodiversity-related work is largely lacking because of limited investment, isolation of scientists, and insufficient capacity development. We report
a consortium of mammal collections in the West Africa Mammal Partnership, a growing network of biodiversity practitioners. By forming a con
sortium, each collection is better positioned to grow through collective fundraising, training, and deployment of standard collection management
practices. We present information on mammal collections based in four countries (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, and Nigeria), including
taxonomic coverage, number of specimens, duration, geographical focus, and contributions. Collections in the consortium are focused primarily
on bats and have contributed to new species descriptions and >30 new country records, with two maintaining tissue samples (muscle, liver, fur,
skin biopsies, and faecal material). We anticipate that with increased attention and integration of collecting goals during ecological surveys, species
monitoring, and disease surveillance efforts, each collection will work towards formalization, improving access to specimens and data, while raising
the capacity of in-country scientists for biodiversity science that informs decision-making and, ultimately, species conservation.

Mots-clés

natural history collection consortium, tissue sample, archive, biodiversity data, bat, rodent