Preserving and maintaining biological collections in museums: reflections on practical and ethical perspectives

Abstract

Biological collections reunited in natural history museums contribute to the knowledge and investigation of different aspects of biodiversity. Preserving these collections then becomes a primary action for museums that have them in their care. Thus, this article aimed analyze different aspects related to the conservation of biological collections in museums,
emphasizing the reason for their maintenance, their ethical complications and the need for more and more efforts to be used in such tasks, which often seem small compared to the gathering and research processes of the collections. Through bibliographic survey, different elements present in these collections were listed. Despite the adversities that may be imposed by the specimens’ specificities, preserving them through daily practices, elaboration of action protocols and communication itself are still shown as viable and necessary alternatives to natural history museums.