João José Mendes de Oliveira and the Turtle Foundation catch poachers with the help of trained dogs

https://go.nature.com/4kj64jM

Conservation paleobiology offers a unique window into our past; A window that can illuminate the past, inform the present and guide future conservation efforts in the face of climate change. @damonmatthews.bsky.social

De Assumpção highlights the need for enhanced interdisciplinary training, the promotion of cooperation between fields, and collective action to incorporate conservation paleobiology into modern conservation techniques. The overarching goal: make conservation efforts more effective.

Despite the importance of conservation paleobiology in this region, South America contributes only 10% of papers in this field. This low percentage speaks to the lack of funding, tight publishing deadlines, language bias in publishing, and limited collaboration between fields.

De Assumpção highlights how South America is an ideal study region for conservation paleobiology, as it is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world and one of the most critically in need of practical conservation efforts.

This field often involves the comparison of living, fossil and death assemblages. These comparisons allow for a reconstruction of historical species biodiversity, environmental conditions, long-term population trends and species resilience to disturbance.

Conservation paleobiology serves as a bridge between modern conservation techniques and long-term palaeoenvironmental data. Research in this field provides historical baseline data, enhancing our knowledge of how ecosystems and populations have changed over time under different climatic conditions.

This is an interesting article by PhD student Anna Clara Arboitte de Assumpção from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. It explores the growing field of conservation paleobiology and emphasizes the importance of this research in South America.

www.scielo.br/j/aabc/a/F4t...

Happy otterversary Juno! She joined the sea otter family 11 years ago, after being found and rescued by @montereybayaquarium.org