Biodiversity research in South Africa: comments on current trends and methods

Biodiversity research is crucial to conservation and sustainable utilizatio n of our fauna. We highlight and discuss four issues: (1) taxa chosen as in dicator species, (2) use of morphospecies, (3) sampling techniques and (4) integrative biogeographical and taxonomic work. We illustrate points with e xamples from our work on millipedes. We emphasize careful planning and inte rpretation when using indicator species; discourage the use of morphospecie s, especially for conservation planning; encourage active sampling and espe cially effort quantification; and recommend cladistic biogeography as a sou nd approach to conservation planning, especially for invertebrates. We reit erate the necessity for a sound taxonomic infrastructure to understand and manage our biodiversity.