Advancing conservation paleobiology in South America: teamwork, perspectives, and hurdles.

RITTER, M.; ARCHUBY, F.M.; CABRERA, F.; DE FRANCESCO, CLAUDIO G.; ERTHAL, F.; GHILARDI, R.P.; GODOY, P.L.; HASSAN, GABRIELA S.; HORODYSKI, R.S.; MARTÍNEZ, S.; RIVADENEIRA, M.; RODRIGUES, S.C.; ROJAS, A.; SANTOS DE SOUZA, L.; SIMÕES, M.G.

Zurich

Congreso; 4th Crossing the Paleontological-Ecological Gap e 3rd Conservation Paleobiology Symposium; 2025

University of Zurich

Since Charles Darwin’s first observations, the southern South American coast has beenrecognized as a natural laboratory for addressing major scientific questions. Since the 1990s, wehave conducted taphonomic research, including pioneering time-averaging estimates andestablishing marine baselines for Conservation Paleobiology (CP). However, we continue to facesignificant challenges in this journey into the unknown. The most pressing issued is the lack ofcontinuous funding as we strive to consolidate a research team. In addition to ongoing studies inembayment and inner-shelf areas (Ubatuba Bay, Brazil), many lagoons and estuaries along thecoast remain unexplored. The Patos Lagoon (Brazil) and Río de La Plata (Uruguay and Argentina)are among the world’s largest lagoons and estuaries. Southern Brazil, Uruguay, andNortheastern Argentina are rich in river basins containing Quaternary fossils that provide crucialbaseline data. Numerous permanent and temporary shallow lakes also exist on the gentlysloping Argentine plain (Pampas) in front of the Andes Cordillera, a region of paleoclimaticsignificance due to its sensitivity to interannual precipitation variations. Given the currentscenario of anthropogenic global change, we hypothesize that past environmental impacts canbe assessed by analyzing modern ecosystems through paleoenvironmental information derivedfrom geological and paleontological records in these coastal and continental aquaticenvironments. The application of paleontological and geological data to understandenvironmental change over timescales longer than a few decades should be expanded in SouthAmerica. Our research group aims to generate valuable insights for developing policies tomitigate regional threats from anthropogenic pressures, particularly in areas where long-termecological studies are scarce or absent, using a paleontological perspective and specializedexpertise to address ongoing climate change.