The letter comes amid growing unrest about museum management plans to abolish all 27 roles in the Research and Collections department and replace them with roles focusing on curatorial research, as reported in InDaily in February.

The signatories call on the Malinauskas Government to “urgently review the proposed restructure and invest at least $10 million in designated funding annually for the collections and research work of the Museum to ensure it can continue to serve current and future generations”.

They said the Museum faced “terrible choices following years of chronic underfunding, with government funding and subsequent staffing effectively halved over the last two decades”.

The open letter, published in today’s Advertiser, has been signed by politicians, museum donors, former SA Museum board members and directors, as well as scientists and other academics from around the world.

Among some of the well-known signatories are former SA Museum Directors Professor Tim Flannery and Dr J. Chris Anderson, former Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer, former Chief Scientists for SA Dr Don Bursill, Dr Ian Chessell and Dr Leanna Read, former SA Premier Steven Marshall, Lord Mayor Dr Jane Lomax-Smith and Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.

Former SA Museum Director Professor Tim Flannery (right) is among the letter’s signatories. Photo: AAP

“Capturing 165 years of continuous research, and tens of thousands of years of First Nations knowledge, the collections housed at the South Australian Museum are not only one of the most significant cultural assets in SA, they are among the most significant in the world,” the letter said, with signatories “deeply concerned that the major restructure and job losses of staff proposed by SA Museum management will put all of this at risk”.

The letter said the collections have enabled scientists to discover new species, understand and address biosecurity dangers, discover the origins of life on earth, help prevent the extinction of critical species, and allow First Nations communities to reconnect with their heritage and repatriate their ancestors.

Signatories said the collections “will become even more vital as we seek safe ways to respond to climate change”.

“We understand the need for institutional change and renewal. However, as leaders in our fields, and long-term donors and supporters of the Museum, we believe the proposed changes threaten to irrevocably diminish the Museum’s stature and role, and South Australia’s enviable reputation as a global leader in scientific research and First Nations knowledge and culture,” they said.

“The proposed changes will devastate the Museum’s research capability and institutional knowledge, as well as staff capacity to care for the Museum’s irreplaceable assets.”

A protest against the restructure will be held at Parliament House this Saturday at 11 am, organised by the Nature Conservation Society of South Australia, which said the planned reforms would “devastate the SA Museum’s research capability, world-class biological collections and First Nations knowledge”.