Field Museum of Natural History (Action) Rapid Inventories

The goal of rapid biological and social inventories is to catalyze effective action for conservation in threatened regions of high biological diversity and uniqueness. During rapid biological inventories, scientific teams focus primarily on groups of organisms that indicate habitat type and condition and that can be surveyed quickly and accurately. These inventories do not attempt to produce an exhaustive list of species or higher taxa. Rather, the rapid surveys (1) identify the important biological communities in the site or region of interest and (2) determine whether these communities are of outstanding quality and significance in a regional or global context. During rapid social asset inventories, scientists and local communities collaborate to identify patterns of social organization and opportunities for capacity building. The teams use participant observation and semi-structured interviews to quickly evaluate the assets of these communities that can serve as points of engagement for long-term participation in conservation. In-country scientists are central to the field teams. The experience of local experts is crucial for understanding areas with little or no history of scientific exploration. After the inventories, protection of natural communities and engagement of social networks rely on initiatives from host-country scientists and conservationists. Once these rapid inventories have been completed (typically within a month), the teams relay the survey information to local and international decision makers who set priorities and guide conservation action in the host country. The rapid biological inventory teams use protocols that are specific to the organism groups under study and which are often modified to meet the demands of a particular expedition. If you are interested in the specifics of these protocols, please look at the "Methods" section for each organism group (plants, birds, mammals, fish, amphibians and reptiles, etc.) in the "Technical Report" section of each rapid biological inventory report. Further information: https://pj.fieldmuseum.org/event/1a8857bc-763a-4fa1-ad0b-d7a2ce5ae1d5