Duke University’s Herbarium Set to Close
For at least a hundred years, Duke University’s herbarium has provided critical resources for botanists and researchers. Due to funding cuts, researchers could lose access to more than 825,000 plant specimens at the herbarium.
According to Susan Alberts, Dean of Natural Sciences, budget cuts do not allow Duke’s Herbarium to be maintained in the proper manner. The collection will be rehomed at various institutions.
The closure will not only affect botanists but anyone researching climate change.
The collection holds the United States’ largest collection of algae, lichen, fungi, and mosses.
While it’s easy to scoff at the 25-million-dollar price tag need to maintain the Herbarium, the cost of losing access to this collection is far greater.
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