Speaker
Description
Traditional practices for naming species in the biological sciences often incorporate eponyms. However, the group of honourees is not very diverse, and many individuals have links to colonization. A grassroots movement is emerging within the biological sciences to give new scientific and/or common names to species that bear harmful eponyms. Approaches to renaming species include updating terminology planning processes, using more diverse and inclusive eponyms, re-instating pre-colonial names, and replacing eponyms with transparent terms. Many of these activities are in collaboration with Indigenous communities, as well as with other types of experts and the broader public. It is important for terminologists to be aware of these developments because they are well positioned to contribute to such discussions moving forward.
