Matt Buys
@mattbuys.bsky.social
Herbarium curator, collections manager, database manager, botanist, systematist, cyber-taxonomist. All opinions my own. www.linkedin.com/in/matt-buys-0831b06/ | orcid.org/my-orcid?orcid=0000-0002-1701-6370
We welcomed Eric McKenzie to the National Forest Fungarium at @bioeconomyscience.bsky.social. BioCollections increasingly rely on the knowledge/generosity of retired experts to keep collection-based science thriving. With Eric is Pam Taylor, NZFRIM Collection's Manager. #Mycology #Biocollections 🧪
September 4, 2026 at 1:42 AM
We welcomed Eric McKenzie to the National Forest Fungarium at @bioeconomyscience.bsky.social. BioCollections increasingly rely on the knowledge/generosity of retired experts to keep collection-based science thriving. With Eric is Pam Taylor, NZFRIM Collection's Manager. #Mycology #Biocollections 🧪
Ellwood et al. (2026) call for national centres to coordinate biocollections in the U.S. In NZ, we may already be there. With the @bioeconomyscience.bsky.social, the question shifts not whether to coordinate, but whether to serve as the backbone of a national collections system. #BioCollections
From Knowledge to Action: Next Steps for the Natural Science Collections Community
Abstract. Following decades of increasing collaboration and organization, the United States natural science collections community is uniting around the cre
academic.oup.com
May 19, 2026 at 11:50 PM
Ellwood et al. (2026) call for national centres to coordinate biocollections in the U.S. In NZ, we may already be there. With the @bioeconomyscience.bsky.social, the question shifts not whether to coordinate, but whether to serve as the backbone of a national collections system. #BioCollections
Reposted by Matt Buys
Our latest Scigest podcast explores the science, history and global collaborations behind the Allan Herbarium — home to 800,000 plant specimens from Aotearoa and the Pacific.
Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.bit.ly/4d87aN9
Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.bit.ly/4d87aN9
May 8, 2026 at 6:00 AM
Our latest Scigest podcast explores the science, history and global collaborations behind the Allan Herbarium — home to 800,000 plant specimens from Aotearoa and the Pacific.
Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.bit.ly/4d87aN9
Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.bit.ly/4d87aN9
🚨 #BioCollections update
GBIF has just released a new Types & Specimen extension (May 2026), strengthening how type specimens and physical collections are linked, cited, and reused across global biodiversity data. A big step toward truly extended specimens. 🌍🦋
🔗 rs.gbif.org/extensions.h...
GBIF has just released a new Types & Specimen extension (May 2026), strengthening how type specimens and physical collections are linked, cited, and reused across global biodiversity data. A big step toward truly extended specimens. 🌍🦋
🔗 rs.gbif.org/extensions.h...
GBIF Registered Extensions
rs.gbif.org
May 7, 2026 at 10:12 AM
🚨 #BioCollections update
GBIF has just released a new Types & Specimen extension (May 2026), strengthening how type specimens and physical collections are linked, cited, and reused across global biodiversity data. A big step toward truly extended specimens. 🌍🦋
🔗 rs.gbif.org/extensions.h...
GBIF has just released a new Types & Specimen extension (May 2026), strengthening how type specimens and physical collections are linked, cited, and reused across global biodiversity data. A big step toward truly extended specimens. 🌍🦋
🔗 rs.gbif.org/extensions.h...
Mapped 170K Pinus records across NZ to help @bioeconomyscience.bsky.social model priority surveillance sites for incoming pathogens. 1st headache: a no. of pine trees living happily in the Pacific Ocean! Rubbish data in = rubbish models out. Data owners play a critical role in getting it right. 🧪
May 4, 2026 at 9:33 PM
Mapped 170K Pinus records across NZ to help @bioeconomyscience.bsky.social model priority surveillance sites for incoming pathogens. 1st headache: a no. of pine trees living happily in the Pacific Ocean! Rubbish data in = rubbish models out. Data owners play a critical role in getting it right. 🧪
Reposted by Matt Buys
#Repost @smithsonian
——
The seed of coco de mer was nicknamed “butt nut” because...well...we’ll let you guess why.
Today, conservation biologist Gary Krupnick goes behind the scenes at the U.S. National Herbarium in our @SmithsonianNMNH to highlight this endangered species.
⤵️...⤵️
——
The seed of coco de mer was nicknamed “butt nut” because...well...we’ll let you guess why.
Today, conservation biologist Gary Krupnick goes behind the scenes at the U.S. National Herbarium in our @SmithsonianNMNH to highlight this endangered species.
⤵️...⤵️
April 22, 2026 at 11:30 PM
#Repost @smithsonian
——
The seed of coco de mer was nicknamed “butt nut” because...well...we’ll let you guess why.
Today, conservation biologist Gary Krupnick goes behind the scenes at the U.S. National Herbarium in our @SmithsonianNMNH to highlight this endangered species.
⤵️...⤵️
——
The seed of coco de mer was nicknamed “butt nut” because...well...we’ll let you guess why.
Today, conservation biologist Gary Krupnick goes behind the scenes at the U.S. National Herbarium in our @SmithsonianNMNH to highlight this endangered species.
⤵️...⤵️
Reposted by Matt Buys
Herbarium Specimens Reveal Long‐Term Decline in Pollination Services Since the 1970s
🔗 buff.ly/n7TQWfZ
🔗 buff.ly/n7TQWfZ
April 22, 2026 at 12:25 PM
Herbarium Specimens Reveal Long‐Term Decline in Pollination Services Since the 1970s
🔗 buff.ly/n7TQWfZ
🔗 buff.ly/n7TQWfZ
Reposted by Matt Buys
Rare mid-18th century herbarium (with pre-Linnean names) goes on display at Burton Constable Hall, East Yorks.
www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/2605016...
www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/2605016...
Rare collection goes on display in East Yorkshire for first time in 200 years
A rare botanical collection is going on public display at Burton Constable Hall for the first time in more than 200 years.
www.yorkpress.co.uk
April 27, 2026 at 8:11 AM
Rare mid-18th century herbarium (with pre-Linnean names) goes on display at Burton Constable Hall, East Yorks.
www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/2605016...
www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/2605016...
Europe’s new EOSC paper shows how open, Linux‑based research infrastructure enables data sovereignty. As NZ launches the @bioeconomyscience.bsky.social, let’s commit now to open-source, sovereign research infrastructure built here, for here. 🌱🧬🧪
#OpenScience #DataSovereignty #Bioeconomy #NZScience
#OpenScience #DataSovereignty #Bioeconomy #NZScience
Enhancing data sovereignty for research: Commission publishes new paper
EOSC Steering Board opinion paper on data sovereignty contributes to European efforts to enhance resilience, interoperability, and shared values for global scientific collaboration.
research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu
May 3, 2026 at 10:02 AM
Europe’s new EOSC paper shows how open, Linux‑based research infrastructure enables data sovereignty. As NZ launches the @bioeconomyscience.bsky.social, let’s commit now to open-source, sovereign research infrastructure built here, for here. 🌱🧬🧪
#OpenScience #DataSovereignty #Bioeconomy #NZScience
#OpenScience #DataSovereignty #Bioeconomy #NZScience
Reposted by Matt Buys
Looking backward to move forward: Enhancing metadata in scientific collections through interdisciplinary collaboration
White & Harris
📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#PlantScience
White & Harris
📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#PlantScience
April 15, 2026 at 9:23 PM
Looking backward to move forward: Enhancing metadata in scientific collections through interdisciplinary collaboration
White & Harris
📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#PlantScience
White & Harris
📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#PlantScience
Reposted by Matt Buys
Research using Australian herbarium specimens shows orchid pollination has fallen 60% since the 1970s.
The “declines in pollination are most pronounced in orchids that rely on specialised pollinator interactions”
#orchids #nativeplants #pollinator #conservation
theconversation.com/preserved-or...
The “declines in pollination are most pronounced in orchids that rely on specialised pollinator interactions”
#orchids #nativeplants #pollinator #conservation
theconversation.com/preserved-or...
Preserved orchids show pollination has fallen 60% since the 1970s
Orchids aren’t just beautiful or rare – they’re ecological time capsules that offer clues to the long-term health of ecosystems.
theconversation.com
April 20, 2026 at 11:51 AM
Research using Australian herbarium specimens shows orchid pollination has fallen 60% since the 1970s.
The “declines in pollination are most pronounced in orchids that rely on specialised pollinator interactions”
#orchids #nativeplants #pollinator #conservation
theconversation.com/preserved-or...
The “declines in pollination are most pronounced in orchids that rely on specialised pollinator interactions”
#orchids #nativeplants #pollinator #conservation
theconversation.com/preserved-or...
Reposted by Matt Buys
The wonderful Frank Hemmings, our Technical Laboratory Manager and Herbarium curator, featured in @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...
How hidden contributions power modern research
The people who work behind the scenes to keep research moving say that there should be more recognition for their roles.
www.nature.com
April 21, 2026 at 2:57 AM
The wonderful Frank Hemmings, our Technical Laboratory Manager and Herbarium curator, featured in @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Great to host Dr Alexander Schmidt‑Lebuhn ( #CSIRO) at the National Forestry Herbarium @bioeconomyscience.bsky.social. His🌿expertise helped confirm, or not, Senecio madagascariensis (fireweed/Madagascar ragwort) specimens, an emerging weed and biosecurity concern in NZ.🧪 #BioCollections #Biosecurity
April 22, 2026 at 1:24 AM
Great to host Dr Alexander Schmidt‑Lebuhn ( #CSIRO) at the National Forestry Herbarium @bioeconomyscience.bsky.social. His🌿expertise helped confirm, or not, Senecio madagascariensis (fireweed/Madagascar ragwort) specimens, an emerging weed and biosecurity concern in NZ.🧪 #BioCollections #Biosecurity
New webpage now live for the National Forestry Herbarium at @bioeconomyscience.bsky.social. Explore our database of #BioCollections held in our care. Visit nzfri.scionresearch.com
April 21, 2026 at 3:53 AM
New webpage now live for the National Forestry Herbarium at @bioeconomyscience.bsky.social. Explore our database of #BioCollections held in our care. Visit nzfri.scionresearch.com
Yeah! New @bioeconomyscience.bsky.social logo, which compliments our Brahms database for #BioCollections perfectly. 🎉🧪
September 2, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Yeah! New @bioeconomyscience.bsky.social logo, which compliments our Brahms database for #BioCollections perfectly. 🎉🧪
🌿 Using specimen records from @bioeconomyscience.bsky.social's National Forestry Herbarium & others, Santiago-Rosario et al. mapped mistletoe-host interactions. Showy mistletoes show strong preferences for rosid hosts—hinting at ancient co-evolution. #Botany #Ecology #NZFRI #Mistletoe 🧪
Continental‐scale interactions of Australian showy mistletoes and their hosts
Premise
Showy mistletoes are obligate hemiparasites of woody plants. Host specificity is therefore a fundamental determinant of mistletoe diversity, persistence, geographic distribution, and abundan.....
bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
August 6, 2025 at 1:32 AM
🌿 Using specimen records from @bioeconomyscience.bsky.social's National Forestry Herbarium & others, Santiago-Rosario et al. mapped mistletoe-host interactions. Showy mistletoes show strong preferences for rosid hosts—hinting at ancient co-evolution. #Botany #Ecology #NZFRI #Mistletoe 🧪
Reposted by Matt Buys
We are pleased to see that the successful uptake of ORCID across Australia is proving to enhance research reporting and measuring. 🇦🇺
Read more here ➡️ https://shorturl.at/z4Ygl
Read more here ➡️ https://shorturl.at/z4Ygl
August 4, 2025 at 8:31 PM
We are pleased to see that the successful uptake of ORCID across Australia is proving to enhance research reporting and measuring. 🇦🇺
Read more here ➡️ https://shorturl.at/z4Ygl
Read more here ➡️ https://shorturl.at/z4Ygl
Just updated @bioeconomyscience.bsky.social's National Forestry Herbarium data on GBIF! 🌿
Fresh records for researchers, conservationists & biodiversity enthusiasts. Explore the richness of our collections to unlock new insights and create impact.
#BioCollections #GBIF #Herbarium #BiodiversityData
Fresh records for researchers, conservationists & biodiversity enthusiasts. Explore the richness of our collections to unlock new insights and create impact.
#BioCollections #GBIF #Herbarium #BiodiversityData
August 4, 2025 at 2:07 AM
Just updated @bioeconomyscience.bsky.social's National Forestry Herbarium data on GBIF! 🌿
Fresh records for researchers, conservationists & biodiversity enthusiasts. Explore the richness of our collections to unlock new insights and create impact.
#BioCollections #GBIF #Herbarium #BiodiversityData
Fresh records for researchers, conservationists & biodiversity enthusiasts. Explore the richness of our collections to unlock new insights and create impact.
#BioCollections #GBIF #Herbarium #BiodiversityData
Reposted by Matt Buys
Welcome to the Bioeconomy Science Institute - formed by the merging of AgResearch, @manaakiwhenua.bsky.social, Plant & Food Research and Scion.
We’re here to grow a resilient, sustainable bioeconomy — through innovation, collaboration and science that delivers real-world impact. 🌱
We’re here to grow a resilient, sustainable bioeconomy — through innovation, collaboration and science that delivers real-world impact. 🌱
July 31, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Welcome to the Bioeconomy Science Institute - formed by the merging of AgResearch, @manaakiwhenua.bsky.social, Plant & Food Research and Scion.
We’re here to grow a resilient, sustainable bioeconomy — through innovation, collaboration and science that delivers real-world impact. 🌱
We’re here to grow a resilient, sustainable bioeconomy — through innovation, collaboration and science that delivers real-world impact. 🌱
Cheers to Pensoft for incorporating a Bluesky share option. I've just embarked on the Wikidata/ORCID/Bionomia journey as curator and database manager of the #NationalForestryHerbarium @scionresearch.bsky.social. All this to make data #FAIR
The disambiguation of people names in biological collections
Scientific collections have been built by people. For hundreds of years, people have collected, studied, identified, preserved, documented and curated collection specimens. Understanding who those peo...
bdj.pensoft.net
April 20, 2025 at 6:22 AM
Cheers to Pensoft for incorporating a Bluesky share option. I've just embarked on the Wikidata/ORCID/Bionomia journey as curator and database manager of the #NationalForestryHerbarium @scionresearch.bsky.social. All this to make data #FAIR
Leveraging the BRAHMS database at the National Forestry Herbarium @scionresearch.bsky.social boosts efficiency in managing #BioCollections. Linking duplicates to a single event streamlines data and reduces redundancy. This integration leads to more reliable data and improved research outcomes. 🌿📊🧪
Index - BRAHMS Online
NZFRI specimens
nzfri.scionresearch.com
April 2, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Leveraging the BRAHMS database at the National Forestry Herbarium @scionresearch.bsky.social boosts efficiency in managing #BioCollections. Linking duplicates to a single event streamlines data and reduces redundancy. This integration leads to more reliable data and improved research outcomes. 🌿📊🧪
Reposted by Matt Buys
1. Infuriatingly, here in the UK, the government still seems to believe that the only way of introducing trees is to plant them (see, for example, the current Land Use Framework consultation).
News just in: trees can self-seed, which could be why they've survived for 360m years. 🧵
News just in: trees can self-seed, which could be why they've survived for 360m years. 🧵
I took this photo less than 10 years after the deer fence behind was erected. Before it went up, the land behind was just grass, exactly like the foreground where he sheep are.
*Nothing* was planted here.
"It's not rocket science" is an understatement.
🌍
*Nothing* was planted here.
"It's not rocket science" is an understatement.
🌍
March 31, 2025 at 10:01 AM
1. Infuriatingly, here in the UK, the government still seems to believe that the only way of introducing trees is to plant them (see, for example, the current Land Use Framework consultation).
News just in: trees can self-seed, which could be why they've survived for 360m years. 🧵
News just in: trees can self-seed, which could be why they've survived for 360m years. 🧵
Reposted by Matt Buys
Watch Firefly land on the Moon! After identifying surface hazards and selecting a safe landing site, #BlueGhost landed directly over the target in Mare Crisium. A historic moment on March 2 we'll never forget. We have Moon dust on our boots! #BGM1
youtu.be/NpHhEybJdxg
youtu.be/NpHhEybJdxg
Moon Landing - Firefly Blue Ghost Makes History
YouTube video by Firefly Aerospace
youtu.be
March 4, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Watch Firefly land on the Moon! After identifying surface hazards and selecting a safe landing site, #BlueGhost landed directly over the target in Mare Crisium. A historic moment on March 2 we'll never forget. We have Moon dust on our boots! #BGM1
youtu.be/NpHhEybJdxg
youtu.be/NpHhEybJdxg
Reposted by Matt Buys
My science system reforms analysis is here: I wanted to first focus on the difference between the SSAG recommendations and the govt announcement. There’s a lot 😳 but the headline is the lack of govt investment.
theconversation.com/if-the-gover...
theconversation.com/if-the-gover...
If the government wants science to have an economic impact it has to put its money where its mouth is
Science sector reforms are long overdue. But questions remain about implementation and whether there will be enough funding to be effective.
theconversation.com
January 30, 2025 at 12:01 AM
My science system reforms analysis is here: I wanted to first focus on the difference between the SSAG recommendations and the govt announcement. There’s a lot 😳 but the headline is the lack of govt investment.
theconversation.com/if-the-gover...
theconversation.com/if-the-gover...