Ten Grand Challenges for the Next Decade

Quentin Wheeler



UNLESS AND UNTIL we have and described a preponderance of Earth’s species, our knowledge of biodiversity will remain inadequate to meet the challenges of our rapidly changing planet.

Specifically, we must map the species of the biosphere to establish a baseline against which to monitor changes in biodiversity, and losses and introductions of species. Moreover, we must accelerate an inventory of Earth species so as to establish a record of the results of the 3.5 billion year history of evolution. Such a record would have immediate, profound, and permanent positive impacts for science and humanity.

Quentin Wheeler, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University, has special interest in the role of taxonomy in biodiversity exploration and conservation. In 2007 he created the International Institute for Species Exploration to partner with museums and botanical gardens to discover and describe Earth’s estimated 10 million species.

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