TRAINING TOMORROW’S CONSERVATION PALEOBIOLOGISTS TO FUNCTION EFFECTIVELY IN THE CONSERVATION WORLD

The developing field of Conservation Paleobiology (CPB) uses the theories and tools of paleontology to analyze geohistorical data (fossils, sediments, ice cores, etc.) to address problems in biodiversity conservation. However, fulfilling CPB’s mission of conservation and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystem services remains challenging; current CPB practitioners were not trained as conservation paleobiologists and lack experience in translating our science into management practice and policy. Conservation biologists have struggled with similar issues, and discussions in the conservation biology (CB) literature provide lessons applicable to training tomorrow’s conservation paleobiologists.

Informed by these CB discussions, we recommend the following steps to produce more effective training in conservation paleobiology: 1) integrate CPB into truly cross-disciplinary conservation curricula; 2) promote a problem-solving and policy-oriented approach to CPB education; 3) implement hands-on experience in real-world settings; 4) promote informal opportunities for cross-disciplinary interaction; 5) establish connections among stakeholders; and 6) modify faculty incentive systems to reward CPB activities. Cross-disciplinary programs suffer from institutional constraints that will make implementation of our recommendations challenging. Development of CPB programs will involve tradeoffs, and PhD programs focused on research may not be the best (or only) venues for CPB training. In the meantime, students can be mentored to develop a set of non-academic skills to prepare them for CPB careers. Ultimately, implementation of the approach we propose will better prepare tomorrow’s conservation paleobiologists to function effectively in the conservation world.