Integrating deep-time palaeontology in conservation prioritisation

Halting biodiversity loss under growing anthropogenic pressure is arguably the greatest environmental challenge we face. Given that not all species are equally threatened and resources always limited, establishing robust prioritisation schemes critical for implementing effective conservation actions. To this end, International Union Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Threatened Species has become a widely used source information on species’ extinction risk. Various metrics have been proposed combine IUCN status with different aspects to identify priorities. However, current strategies do take full advantage palaeontological data, palaeobiology often focussing near-time fossil record (the last 2 million years). Here, make case value deep-time (over years ago), as it can offer tangible parallels today’s crisis inform intrinsic traits prone extinction. As such, data holds great predictive power, which could be harnessed flag likely but currently too poorly known identified such. Finally, key IUCN-based outline opportunities integrating validate their implementation. Although human signal makes direct comparisons geological past challenging, more than recognised.