KYIV — A paper published in the journal Taxon details the scientific significance of the National Herbarium of Ukraine in Kyiv (KW) and the risks it faces from the ongoing conflict. The herbarium, which contains over 2.3 million plant and fungal specimens, survived missile strikes in October 2022 without serious damage.

During the October 2022 missile strikes, central Kyiv experienced destruction or damage to nearby scientific and cultural institutions. Despite this, researchers state that ongoing attacks, power disruptions, and other wartime conditions continue to pose risks to the herbarium.

"The National Herbarium of Ukraine is a global archive of biodiversity, containing specimens collected during some of the most important botanical expeditions in history," said Dr. Jürgen Kellermann, a Senior Botanist at the State Herbarium of South Australia and a Visiting Research Fellow at Adelaide University. The KW herbarium includes specimens collected by explorers such as James Drummond, Allan Cunningham, John Gilbert, Johann August Ludwig Preiss, and Franz Wilhelm Sieber.

The collection also contains type specimens, which serve as original reference samples for describing plant species. "Many of these specimens cannot be replaced if they are lost," Kellermann said. The herbarium also holds original material used by Nicolai Turczaninow from 1847 to 1863 to describe 43 genera and approximately 400 species of Australian plants. "Historical KW specimens are especially important for the flora of the global biodiversity hotspot of Western Australia, but also for other regions of the country," he added.

Professor Sergei Mosyakin, Director of the Kholodny Institute of Botany and Research Curator of the National Herbarium, addressed the importance of digitization. "Digitization is about more than creating images," Mosyakin said. "It allows scientists around the world to study these collections, discover previously overlooked specimens and build new research partnerships." The National Herbarium of Ukraine contains specimens collected during botanical expeditions across Australia, New Zealand, North America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.

"Some specimens held in Kyiv provide unique insights into Australia's botanical history and contain information that is difficult or impossible to find elsewhere," Kellermann noted. "Protecting and sharing these collections benefits not only Ukraine, but the global scientific community." "By working together, we can help safeguard this remarkable scientific heritage for future generations," Mosyakin concluded.