Vision and Mission

Vision

Australia’s distributed national fauna collections are a key resource for taxonomy, systematics, conservation and the sustainable use of our biodiversity.

Mission

To advance and disseminate collections based knowledge and research on Australian fauna for the benefit of all.

The Council shall

• promote and facilitate the use of the national network of fauna collections for documentation, understanding and conservation of Australia’s native fauna,
• promote cooperation, collaboration and understanding between the institutions responsible for these collections,
• encourage and facilitate the dissemination of data pertaining to fauna collections at national and international levels,
• inform policy and strategic direction at state and national levels,
• support and facilitate collections based research.

Objectives

• Raise the profile of Australia’s fauna collections.
• Promote taxonomy as a state and national research priority
• Promote recognition of the collections as key resources in underpinning research into the taxonomic and genetic basis of knowledge about fauna biodiversity.
• Promote the value and use of fauna collections to maximise the scientific validity of biological research.
• Increase resources for systematics, taxonomy and biodiversity informatics.
• Contribute to identification of national research priorities in biodiversity conservation including taxonomic research.

Importance of national cooperative effort

• Promote the critical importance of a national cooperative effort among fauna collections.
• Contribute to the development of national policies and strategies in biodiversity conservation, science and natural resource management.
• Promote and facilitate cooperative approaches to collections based research.
• Promote and facilitate the sharing of data, information and expertise among Australian fauna collections for improved efficiency and effectiveness.
• Contribute to protocols recognising or governing intellectual property, heritage values, indigenous knowledge, biodiscovery and the use of collections-derived data and products.
• Facilitate cooperation and innovation to improve access to information and knowledge needed for conservation of Australia’s biodiversity and ecologically sustainable development.

Education and training

• Provide and promote education and training, through linkages with universities and government agencies, to develop national levels of expertise in taxonomy, systematics and biodiversity informatics.

Cooperation on collections management, development and utilisation

• Promote best-practice management of collections through sharing information and development of agreed guidelines.
• Identify and implement measures for adding value to fauna collections through provision of a broader range of products and services by Australia’s distributed fauna collections.

Links with relevant organisations

• Develop linkages with other relevant organisations within Australia and internationally.