The "Promotion of Tropical Knowledge" program at the Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical: look into the past with future prospects

Abstract

This paper presents the strategy adopted by the Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical (Tropical Research Institute), in Lisbon, to access and conserve the natural history collections under its care, specifically fluid-preserved zoological and botanical collections, through the creation and implementation of the interdisciplinary project "Promotion of Tropical Knowledge". We discuss key issues and planned interventions, taking into account the need to preserve the chemical structure and the morphology of the specimens in the best possible way. The article focuses on the importance of maintaining the integrity of the containers which house the specimens and the fluid composition and its appropriate levels, creating a protective microenvironment around the specimens. Reference is also made to the importance of computer processing of collections, allowing its availability to the scientific community and acting as a form of long term preservation, since this means of safeguarding information may last even longer than the specimens themselves.

Keywords

• Scientific collections
• Natural history collections
• Preservation
• Conservation
• Biodiversity