Survey closes 31 August 2024

The Ecological Society of Australia is running a survey on taxonomic bias in Australia and would like to hear from individuals in a variety of ecological sectors and across the breadth of Australian taxa. This survey is being run in partnership with researchers from Deakin University, the University of Sydney, Queensland University of Technology and Curtin University.

What is taxonomic bias? Across many platforms (e.g. academic research and associated peer-reviewed publications, news and social media, conservation funding, and policy protections for threatened species), attention often focuses on the same, small subset of species. This is taxonomic bias. The groups of species who miss out on this attention experience negative taxonomic bias.

While we have some understanding of the types of taxa this bias affects, what is less clear are the impacts it has on the people trying to study and protect them.

>> How does taxonomic bias manifest in their work and workplaces?
>> What reasoning is given when taxonomic bias occurs?
>> Does taxonomic bias affect job satisfaction, career progression, or mental health?

Who do we want to hear from? Individuals within the Australian ecological community – students, academics, practitioners, consultants, policymakers, educators, campaigners, communicators, marketers, and more.

This survey should take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete and will remain open until 31 August 2024. Responses will remain anonymous but may be used to inform future outputs, including reports, research papers, media releases and conference presentations. The survey has received human ethics approval at Deakin University (SEBE-2024-15).

Thank you for sparing the time for this important project.

TAKE THE SURVEY