I am reminded of a comment made by a young scientist not too long ago. He said that what the Philippines needs are long term ecological studies that span not just years but decades or even centuries. This way, trends in the course of time become evident.
For example, changes in temperature and rainfall over long periods of time make it possible to predict climatic patterns. We are now witnessing how past records of these two variables allow climatologists to identify trends or cyclical climatic events.
Because organisms respond to climatic changes, it is also useful to study their responses to the changing climate. These studies require long-term commitment on the part of research scientists.
But we all know that long-term studies require generations of dedicated scientists. The active life span of an individual scientist is at most 50 years, although some may remain active for few more years beyond this time span.
The practice in research institutions in developed countries has been to allow “retired” researchers to continue working in their specialized fields as long as they desire. I think developing countries like the Philippines should adopt this policy.
Something must be done to facilitate the continuity of ecological studies deemed important to the country’s future development.
Research institutions, research departments in universities, and government agencies tasked to conduct research should set up programs and facilities designed for long-term investigations, with an emphasis on the continuing build-up and transfer of expertise across generations of scientists.
The role of senior members of the research teams would be to train (and influence) younger associates in their specialties through the mentoring process. This way, there would always be, at any point in time, senior and younger scientists working together. This arrangement is necessary because research is a never-ending process.
Do the above thoughts make sense? I am almost sure that most senior scientists who are fully-committed to research would like to continue what they have been doing in the past. I refer to those who have contributed significantly to knowledge that they consider their legacy to humanity.
On the part of younger scientists, I am sure they would welcome the pieces of advice of their senior colleagues.
On the part of research institutions, I see no reason why they cannot profit, in terms of their academic reputation, from the active research involvement of their senior researchers.
So, what I am saying is that everybody stands to benefit from programs aimed at long-term ecological research.
