The Risks of Unrestricted Science Publication and Endangered Species

Thanks to modern technology, we live in a world where scientific research is openly available and easily accessible. This is a fantastic thing for many reasons: it encourages and enhances collaboration among scientists and drives new discoveries, while also allowing the general public to keep up to date on scientific projects and advancements. Health studies, climate change models, conservation initiatives; these publications are all crucial to understand and protect our world, our resources and ourselves. But while publishing scientific information has been a tradition for centuries, these same modern technological advancements may be creating new obstacles. Some scientists must now wonder, "do we publicize TOO much information?" 

In today's world, information is incredibly valuable. We crave openness and transparency; when information is hidden or unavailable to us, we become very distrustful. So how could the sharing of scientific information possibly be bad? Why would we even consider limiting what we openly publish? Well the problem isn't the information itself, but how it's wielded by those who can freely read it. Most of the time, this information is used for "good", such as the collaboration among other research groups or even just the general dissemination of important conclusions to the global population. But the problem is when someone wields the information more like a weapon; these individuals have learned to use scientific publications to their own ends and allowing them continued unrestricted access to scientific information can be devastating.

Unfortunately, thanks to open publication, biologists may be contributing to the global decline and even extinction of many different species. To poachers, these unrestricted publications are a literal gold mine; these individuals are now scouring scientific documentation for information on the locations or habitats of new or rare species.

 Ironically, the principles of open access and transparency have led to the creation of detailed online databases that pose a very real threat to endangered species. Source

The illegal trade of endangered wildlife has exploded online, threatening many wild populations or even completely wiping them out. Even some recently described species are already on the brink thanks to poaching occuring almost immediately after they were first documented and published. Online publications, like wildlife atlases and range maps, are basically a treasure map; at the "x" lies an animal potentially worth a fortune.

 "We have personally experienced this, in our research on the endangered pink-tailed worm-lizard, a startling creature that resembles a snake. Biologists working in New South Wales are required to provide location data on all species they discover during scientific surveys to an online wildlife atlas. But after we published our data, the landowners with whom we worked began to find trespassers on their properties. The interlopers had scoured online wildlife atlases. As well as putting animals at risk, this undermines vital long-term relationships between researchers and landowners." -Benjamin Scheele, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Ecology, Australian National University Source

Sadly, poaching isn't the only problem that has increased with the availability of unrestricted information. Over-eager wildlife enthusiasts scour these same information sources to track down unusual species to photograph, handle or even collect. This has several profoundly negative impacts on local populations; first off, it is incredibly disruptive and stressful to the animals (some animals can die due to even minimal stress). The individual can destroy critical microhabitats in their search that could have severe effects in the entire ecosystem. They may even be responsible for the spread of cataclysmic diseases; the amphibian chytrid fungus is spreading rapidly thanks to the wildlife trade and handling, and many species have already been driven to extinction.

Some scientists believe it may be time to break with tradition, and begin censoring some of the information they reveal to the public. But how do we responsibly do this? How do we provide open scientific literature while still protecting these animals? How do we maintain our transparency without giving away information that can be harmful in the wrong hands?

 We argue that before publishing, scientists must ask themselves: will this information aid or harm conservation efforts? Is this species particularly vulnerable to disruption? Is it slow-growing and long-lived? Is it likely to be poached? Source

Biologists are beginning to take lessons from other scientific fields. Paleontologists and anthropologists, for example, are careful not to disclose locations when publishing data; fossil and artifact excavation sites are kept secret to prevent illegal collection or looting. But simply withholding the habitat or location of a species may not be beneficial to the animal in question, and may even run counter to protecting these species. Conservation efforts require that we know where about animals live so we can adequately protect them and their ecosystem. If a new, endangered lizard were found somewhere in South America, how would we begin protecting it if the location or habitat was completely unknown? How do we allow the dissemination of information without letting it fall into the wrong hands?

 Legal or academic requirements to publish location data may be dangerously out of step with real-life risks. Source

As it stands, there isn't a satisfactory conclusion to this debate. Some newer publications have begun witholding information such as species ranges and habitats, but there is the risk that conservation initiatives may be hindered. So I will ask you steemit: what do we do now? Do we continue with complete transparency or do we censor critical information? How do we spread important information to those who need it without sacrificing security? These are not easy questions to answer, but our changing world may require adopting new strategies to protect our natural resources.

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Article Link: https://theconversation.com/