A recent paper in the journal Science, titled “Avoiding (Re)extinction,” calls for an end to the practice of collecting live plant and animal specimens, suggesting that there are non-lethal alternatives. The impetus for their paper, the authors claim, is what they believe to be a significant role played by specimen collection in the extinction of many species. Yesterday, Scientists from the California Academy of Sciences and more than 60 other international research institutions spanning six continents issued a response.

Their position? Not only is the paper incorrect, but its suggestions are detrimental to the scientific community.

“A few representatives taken for scientific collections is a drop in the bucket compared to the many other threats that species face today,” says lead author Luiz Rocha. “Habitat degradation and loss, unsustainable harvesting, and invasive species each play much larger and more devastating roles in population decline and species extinction.”

Rocha et al. argue that the cessation of specimen collecting wouldn’t just fail to make a dent in extinction rates, it would actually hinder scientists in their understanding of a species biology. That, if anything, could hasten a species’ journey towards extinction.

The original paper goes on to suggest nonlethal methods, like photography or less-invasive tissue collection. A noble idea, but Rocha notes that such practices make it impossible to learn a species’ entire story. Photographs, for instance, offer no indication of an animal’s growth rate, what it eats or how it breeds – all factors, they argue, essential in determining a species’ risk for extinction.

“I am delighted, but not surprised, at the outpouring of support from scientists around the world who recognize the importance of collections for both research and conservation,” says Meg Lowman, Ph.D., Chief of Science and Sustainability at the Academy. “The invaluable specimen collections held by institutions like the Academy provide one of our best tools for understanding and addressing the most pressing sustainability challenges of our time.”