The structural blind spot: Resource inequity in palynological digitization and the role of curatorial labour

This study addresses the structural inequity present in the uncritical enthusiasm for Digital Transformation (DT) within global biodiversity informatics, specifically non–renewable physical biological collections (assets) such as herbaria and herbarium–linked microscopic collections such as that of extant pollen reference slides and the human expertise involved in their curation. We argue that the technocratic shift, where technology dictates scientific methodology, risks prioritizing technological solutions and automation at the cost of losing not only these assets but also the curatorial expertise (labour) required to manage them. Both these assets and the expertise are dwindling globally but at present, more available in the Global South. We have designed this paper as a critical case study and commentary that utilizes the Thanikaimoni palynological collection (India) to present our viewpoint that empirically demonstrates the risks of technological bias and non–renewable asset fragility under current digitization pressures. We find that DT initiatives suffer from a structural blind spot, risking algorithmic bias and epistemological failure (e.g., pollen morphology distortion) by neglecting foundational human expertise. Sustainable DT is contingent on recognizing resource equity and curatorial expertise and infrastructure as foundational prerequisites.