IslandExtinctions: The link between humans and animal extinctions on islands worldwide

Name of applicant

Julia Heinen

Title

Postdoctoral Fellow

Institution

Oxford University School of Archaeology

Amount

DKK 1,100,000

Year

2023

Type of grant

Visiting Fellowships at University of Oxford

What?

The goal of the IslandExtinctions project is to accurately predict vertebrate extinctions (birds, mammals, and reptiles) on 25 islands worldwide for conservation prioritisation, by substantiating risks and drivers.

Why?

Most of the recent extinctions have happened on islands, placing them at the center of the biodiversity crisis. Yet, there are at least a thousand extinct species that have disappeared before they were discovered, biassing our picture of the past. We also lack detailed information about human-related extinction causes. This stands in our way of accurate extinction prediction and prevention.

How?

I will enhance the discovery and characterisation of undetected extinct island species by searching for their environmental DNA (e.g.cave sediment). I will identify human arrival times and specific activities driving these extinctions by integrating my biological databases of animal extinctions with archaeological data about historical island people at the School of Archaeology, Oxford University.

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