The world is changing. Much of what you see today will be gone or very different tomorrow. The window for recording what the biosphere was like before excessive human impact, although closing for millennia, is now rapidly slamming shut. One of the greatest priorities for field research is to record (in specimen, audiovisual, field note, and other archival formats) as much of the remaining biocomplexity of the planet as possible for future generations. Many species and ecosystems will be documented for the last and often only time by a single willing naturalist of our generation who was there and recorded it before it disappeared. As you see a reef bleach severely or a forest get logged, most of what was not recorded from that area will remain unknowable forever. Our understanding of Earth, and our descendants’ ability to reassemble quasi-natural ecosystems, will hinge on the archival record we leave. Having the taxonomic and field skills for making the most meaningful records, and capturing information in the most complete, efficient, and useful manner possible is thus paramount. Recording as much as you can, as well as you can, while you can, is a good principal to go by.
Dr. Gustav Paulay