How can biologists embrace natural history once again?
A unique organism can be vastly explored to understand the basis of
genetic and biochemical regulations, developmental processes,
morphology, physiology, and behavior. Organisms are the starting point
to understand dynamics across organizational scales. Current frontiers
aim to integrate these processes, but without the guidance of natural
history information this will not be possible. Additionally, organisms
are usually the ”face” of conservation and connection with the general
public. Ecological descriptions support public engagement, attract
financial support, and help the development of effective conservation
plans. Still, natural history continues to be overlooked, affecting the
formation of young ecologists and precluding postmodern scientists from
recognizing it as a promoter of advances in specialized fields.
The formation of ecologists and evolutionary biologists must consist of
a strong theoretical foundation and practical experiences achieved
through a balance between active learning inside laboratories and out in
the field. The lack of incentive and financial support to natural
history related courses, as taxonomy, field biology, and organismal
biology, has deep impacts on the formation of new generations of
ecologists and on the future of ecology science. To revert this scenario
and change the view that naturalists are old-fashioned, it will be
necessary to upgrade field teaching practices with technology. The
twenty-first century naturalist must take advantage of high-tech devices
that become each day more accessible to obtain high-quality data (Tosa
et al. 2021). Notebooks and binoculars, inseparable tools of nineteenth
century naturalists, should be improved with camera-traps capturing 24/7
HD wildlife footage, nano tracking devices, microcontrollers, high
quality acoustic recorders, drones, and eDNA analysis (Tosa et al.
2021). However, to incorporate these methods while changing the
prejudiced view of natural history, an educational reform is necessary.
The change of the mindset strongly depends on educational institutions
to appraise a naturalist approach of professors on research and in
class. Furthermore, it is essential that students learn ecology once
again from practical experiences while in the field. Field teaching
promote integration among students, research partnerships, and, more
importantly, it builds the consciousness that ecology science is not
only made of models and analytical tools, but also of “live”
biological history that can only be documented while observing and
collecting data on natural phenomena. Thus, the toolkit of the
twenty-first century naturalist has an inherent power to promote the
education of ecology to a state where natural history is not only
recognized but acknowledged as part of the scientific process. By
revitalizing the teaching of taxonomy, organismal biology, and field
courses (Agnarsson & Kuntner 2007; Fleischner et al. 2017), students
will also be more motivated to learn about nature with hands-on
experience.
At the same time attention must be given to current socio-economic
inequalities that might become a barrier. It is important to mind that
not all institutions and countries will have the same opportunities and
possibilities to improve teaching, courses, and curricula. Still,
ecology as a unified scientific discipline must thrive from a global
endeavor (Nuñez et al. 2021), not only at the research and co-authorship
publication levels (Armenteras 2021). To overcome these barriers, more
educational partnerships will be required within and between countries,
to provide training on the technologies of next-generation natural
history, exchange and loan of equipment, and exchange of students as
well. Such educational reciprocity will assist to reduce asymmetries in
the restricted access of knowledge and technology that science currently
faces, while also contributing for a more diverse learning environment,
especially on field courses (Zavaleta et al. 2020).
The endless search for order in nature is what connects the ecologists
and evolutionary biologists of today with naturalists of the nineteenth
century. The vitality of natural history depends, more than ever, on us,
biologists, to recognize ourselves first as naturalists to then promote
its appreciation by future generations. Allying new technologies, global
partnerships, and inclusive teaching in an out-door class environment
can help to revitalize natural history and merge it once again with
biology. The toolkit of the twenty-first century naturalist has the
power to inspire enthusiasm and creativity in new generations. This
educational change will be a critical step to increase the numbers of
graduated biologists with hands-on knowledge about nature by the end of
the century, while contributing to ecological theory and many aspects of
society, such as health, food security, conservation, and restoration of
degraded habitats.