Our weekly seminar series featuring internal and external speakers in the field of ecology and evolutionary biology. This seminar will be in-person and livestreaming on Zoom (link this page).

Abstract:
The Caribbean is one of the most well-studied biodiversity hotspots, but the diversity of today’s Caribbean is only a fraction of what once existed there, as natural and anthropogenic processes have contributed to extinction and extirpation across multiple taxonomic groups. Given this long-term history of environmental perturbations and human impacts, paleobiology is well-suited to inform ongoing conservation needs in the Caribbean, which continues to be impacted by habitat degradation, species introductions, and other global change phenomena. I show how fossil, archaeological, and ecological data elucidate patterns of biodiversity loss and resilience, with direct implications for conservation management. While conservation paleobiology has significant potential in the Caribbean, it also faces major challenges in implementation, in part due to colonial histories and practices of parachute science. I summarize how this colonial legacy perpetuates knowledge and resource gaps, and outline ways in which we can move toward an equitable conservation paleobiology in the Caribbean and elsewhere.

Contact eebsemaccess@umich.edu for Zoom password at least 2 hours prior to event.