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"As a result of an announcement made in late
April about proposed staff cuts and
restructuring of The Natural History Museum
scientific activities, there has been wide-
spread concern expressed about the future of
important disciplines and their contribution to
the scientific community, both national and
international.
Sixty posts are to be cut from the current
staff of 780 by 1992-3; most from the Science
Departments. Some will be lost by retirement
but the majority of the cuts will be made by
compulsory early retirement and redundancy.
The problems faced by the Museum are caused
externally by lack of Government funding and,
internally by failure to recognise the
fundamental importance of collection based
research- The Museum's plan is to concentrate
research in six areas: biodiversity,
environmental quality, living resources,
mineral resources, human health and human
origins. These fields obviously imply an
attempt to raise funds from sponsorship and
grants in short term, contract-based research,
with less emphasis on the fundamental taxonomic
research for which the Museum has established
its international reputation. Scientific
staff say the impact on the scientific
community will be far reaching, and threatens
the Museum's identity for basic taxonomic work.
Despite the aim to continue studying diversity,
the Museum is closing down research on recent
and fossil mammals, testate amoebae, sponges,
diatoms and bryophytes, taxonomic computing,
fossil plants and fossil birds, modern bees and
wasps, hemiptera (Heteroptera) and weevils.