Voucher Specimen Collection Preparation Identification and Storage ...

plants or dead animals in preserving fluids... Many kinds of animals and plants that are of
interest in environmental impact studies or biological surveys can only be reliably identified
when they have been preserved as specimens. Without such voucher specimens it is
impossible to independently verify an investigator’s claims, it is impossible to re-evaluate the
species present in a sample in light of changing knowledge and taxonomic revisions, and it is
impossible to reliably make historical comparisons or true ecological changes over time due
to environmental effects such as pollution or climate change”.
Specific voucher collections (i.e. collections of one biological group from one project) are
stored as discrete units for a designated time period. This allows easy access for verification
of identifications or additional taxonomic examination. After the designated time has
elapsed, museum curators select appropriate specimens from the voucher collection for
permanent accessioning into the main reference (research) collections. These latter
collections are arranged taxonomically. Therefore, in addition to the primary reasons for
making voucher collections, any government supported inventory offers the opportunity for
the growth and improvement of the provincial collection.
The voucher specimens, as part of the main collection, then become invaluable for other
research such as studies on seasonal occurrence, distribution and biogeography, life history,
and taxonomy. Biologists also have an ethical obligation to use fully any plants and animals
that they collect, particularly if the species are uncommon or if they are from areas that are
subsequently altered by human activity (Miller and Nagorsen 1992).
Responsibilities of museums are to provide curatorial, legal and technical advice on
collecting, preserving, documenting and depositing voucher specimens. Arrangements with
museums for training field investigators and for accepting voucher specimens should be
planned early in a project so that training needs can be met and logistical considerations can
be addressed. Museums must maintain voucher specimens in good condition and make them
and their data readily accessible. Field investigators and collectors are responsible for
properly sampling, preserving and documenting specimens as outlined in relevant protocols
and for ensuring that satisfactory samples of collections are deposited in museums after a
project is completed. Investigators should cross reference voucher specimens in all reports
and publications.
This document should be considered a dynamic document as procedures and techniques
change and improve. Note that this manual presents standard protocols for collecting animal
vouchers only. Information on collecting and preparing plant and fungi vouchers is covered
in manual No. 4b.
1.1 Ethical Considerations
The inventory and/or management of free-living wild mammals, birds, reptiles and
amphibians may require their capture and handling and/or collection for the identification of
specific characteristics as well as for other purposes. Guidelines in the Live Animal Capture
and Handling Guidelines, manual no. 3, present a standardized approach to the justification
and ethical considerations research and operational wildlife workers should consider when
planning and performing the capture and handling of any wild animal. It is expected that
protocols in the above mentioned manual will be followed, as this information will not be
2 June 9, 1999