In Recent years the pressing need for strengthening taxonomy and taxonomic services has been voiced by many biologists in different parts of the world and several international organizations, notably the International Union of Biological Sciences. The need is still more pressing in developing countries where their fauna and flora are little studied or identified, and experienced taxonomists are exceedingly rare if not non-existent.

I can say with absolute conviction that all taxonomic institutions in the world ought to welcome unreservedly the move that is proposed at this meeting, to expand taxonomic services in Africa. Speaking on behalf of my own organisation, the Centre for Overseas Pest Research, one of the Scientific Units of Britain's Overseas Development Administration, I can point out that we have since our foundation done our best, in the ways open to us, to help taxonomists in Africa as in all other parts of the world. COPR has as its brief the study of pests of agriculture, veterinary and public health, of regional importance in developing countries. We have a set of target pests and crops, and in general work within those limits. Two of our targets are grasshoppers and locusts combined, and termites, and for those we provide taxonomic service on a worldwide basis. More specifically, our staff have run or participated in training courses for groups and for individuals, to enable them to learn to recognise insect pests. Our training programmes have been at all levels, from technicians up to post-graduate specialists. Indeed, in the last few months we have had with us in my own research group in South Kensington Dr A. G. A. Salman from Assiut University, Egypt, and Mr Phillip Nkunika from the Livingstone Museum, Lusaka, Zambia, both working alongside our specialists to learn their expertise.

The idea of a museum in Kenya came about on 25 March 1909 through the efforts of people who were interested in natural history. As their collections increased in size they kept on moving them from one storage to a bigger one until finally a museum was built to house the collection in 1929.

The importance of insect identification services and the value of a quality insect collection to agricultural development in the countries of Africa do not need to be re-emphasized. This fact has been mentioned time and again and, indeed, such an accepted value is the motive force behind this workshop. From what has been said, it should be clear that insect identification services and insect collections cannot correctly be evaluated separately. Each relies on the quality of the other. Without an extensive insect collection, wellcurated and up-to-date nomenclature-wise identification services, if they are provided, are poor and likely to be inaccurate. Conversely, if a professional insect collection is to be developed and maintained, it will only come through the efforts of a competent entomologist specifically given such responsibility.