ROMANIAN TAXONOMY IN CRISIS – PRESENT STATUS AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENT DAN COGÃLNICEANU, DOREL RUªTI, DAN MANOLELI Abstract. In this paper we evaluate the current status of animal taxonomy in Romania. The present-day situation can be summarized by several questions: (1) Do we really require taxonomy? (2) How can we benefit from the existing network of natural history museums, research institutes and universities with focus on taxonomy? (3) How can taxonomy increase its attractiveness and utility in the present day socio-economic and scientific environment? (4) How can we solve the present chronic under funding of taxonomy studies? From analyzing the situation in Romania it appears as urgent the need to launch a National Taxonomy Program. Besides responding to a political commitment made after signing the Convention on Biological Diversity, it would have a positive medium and long-term impact on strengthening institutional capacity and the development of scientific research at national and regional level. Résumé. Ce travail se propose d’évaluer la situation actuelle de la taxonomie animale, avec un accent spécial sur la situation en Roumanie. La situation actuelle de la taxonomie en Roumanie peut être résumée en posant quelques questions: (1) avons-nous réellement besoin de la taxonomie? (2) comment peut-on valoriser le réseau existant de musées de sciences naturelles, d’instituts de recherches et d’universités? (3) comment pourait-on augmenter l’attractivité et la compétitivité de la taxonomie dans l’actuel contexte socio-économique et scientifique? (4) comment peut-on résoudre l’actuel sous- financement chronique de la taxonomie? En analysant la situation de Roumanie, il en résulte l’urgence de lancer un Programme National de Taxonomie qui, en plus de la réalisation d’une obligation politique assumée dans le cadre de la Convention pour la Diversité Biologique de Rio de Janeiro, devrait avoir également un impact positif à long terme sur le développement et l’augmentation de la capacité institutionnelle et des recherches scientifiques sur le plan national et régional. Key words: taxonomy crisis, taxonomy in Romania, National Program in Taxonomy. INTRODUCTION Taxonomy defined as the science of the categorization of living things and includes the identification and naming of types of plants, animals and micro- organisms of the world (CBD SBSTTA 9, 2003), is of fundamental importance for all biological sciences and biotechnology. Taxonomy is the original version of what we call today bioinformatics and, despite the revolution in information technology which has achieved satellite imaging, genome mapping and so on, taxonomic information has practically remained unchanged for the last 250 years, since Linné introduced the binary system of classification of living organisms (Linnaeus, 1758). Since it’s beginning, taxonomy was vital for biology since it adheres to a strict set of nomenclature rules, which are presently codified by the international commissions on biological nomenclature (International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, 1999). Although taxonomic rules do not have an official status in any country worldwide, they are universally valid and are invaluable for allowing the international traffic of taxonomic information in all major fields and applications which operate with biological material, transgressing language and scientific barriers. In contemporary language, the Linnean inheritance which is still the Travaux du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle «Grigore Antipa» Vol. L pp. 517–526 © Octobre 2007