Home: Harrison Institute

‘eighty years of promoting biodiversity conservation through taxonomic research, scientific training and international networks’

Taxonomic network

Harrison Institute, Centre for Biodiversity Research

Dr Paul Bates, Director of the Institute (left), with colleagues from the Prince of Songkla University, Thailand.

Please join us at the first International Ornithological Congress of Southeast Asia, which will be held in Phuket, Thailand in November, 2012.

Griffin's leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros griffini) was recently described from Vietnam by our colleague Dr Vu Dinh Thong - Institute staff, working with colleagues worldwide have now helped name fifteen new species of Recent mammal and a number of new fossil taxa.

The Harrison Institute is co-hosting with Sarah Tucker College, Tiruneveli a South Asian Bat Acoustiics Workshop in peninsular India. This will involve theoretical and practical training, looking at the diverse bat fauna, such Rhinolophus trifoliatus (see above) within the subcontinent.

The Harrison Institute has recently published two articles about its work, aims and aspirations in biodiversity research and conservation. The original versions are available on pages 115 and 116 of 'Public Service Review: UK Science and Technology'.

Latest news

Nearly two years into our project Enhancing taxonomic capacity to underpin tropical biodiversity conservation (SE Asia) there are already numerous outputs - for details see the 2011-2012 report.

We are pleased to announce that the Afro-Asian Taxonomic Network has over 150 members from 46 countries.

Abstracts of 2nd International SE Asian Bat Conference (June, 2011); the 11th African Small Mammal Symposium (July, 2011) and Assoc. of Tropical Biology: Asia-Pacific (March, 2012) are available.

Please visit the website of the Tree Shirt House, who are supporting our project on the world's smallest mammal, the bumble bee bat, through the sale of their top quality, eco-friendly T-shirts.

The Annual Report of the Harrison Institute for the year 2010-2011.

This outlines our continuing training and taxonomic research projects in the UK and Africa

We congratulate our colleague Dr Sansareeya Wangkulangkul on her recent award of a Rufford grant for amphibian work in Thailand.

Welcome to the Harrison Institute

The Harrison Institute was founded in 1930 as a zoological museum, specialising in mammals and birds.

Today it is a UK registered charity (No. 268830), CITES listed (GB010), and actively facilitates biodiversity conservation through:

Conducting taxonomic research on mammals (Recent and fossil)
Training staff and students from UK and foreign institutions in whole organism (alpha) taxonomy
Collaborating with molecular systematists
Developing scientific networks
Disseminating taxonomic information through a range of publications and other media.

The Institute is based at Bowerwood House in south-east England and works with colleagues worldwide on a range of projects, particularly in the Old World Tropics of Asia and Africa.

Website last updated on 20 March, 2012