Branch Out Taxonomy - the benefits of naming nature
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Sep 11, 2024 Andy Austin, Professor and Director of Taxonomy Australia, leads efforts to document Australian species, while Claire Ibrahim, a Partner at Deloitte Access Economics, quantifies biodiversity’s economic value. They delve into taxonomy's crucial role in identifying unclassified species and its implications for conservation and agriculture. The discussion highlights the economic benefits of biosecurity and advanced technologies like machine learning in taxonomy. Moreover, the podcast underscores the Great Barrier Reef's $56 billion economic worth and advocates for integrating ecological factors into economic models.
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Taxonomy's Importance
- Taxonomy classifies organisms within a coherent framework.
- It's vital for understanding and preserving life's intricate web.
Undiscovered Value
- Australia has hundreds of thousands of unidentified species.
- Classifying them could be worth billions to the economy.
The Austeni Spider
- Andy Austin had a spider, Austeni, named after him.
- It's now critically endangered after Kangaroo Island fires.