Kone Foundation Grant fuels exciting new research at BISONS

We are happy to announce that Dr. Caroline Fukushima, a postdoctoral researcher at our lab, has been awarded a 3-year grant from the Kone Foundation for the project “Invisible Biodiversity: addressing scientific and societal ignorance in ecoregions for a sustainable future.”

This ambitious project seeks to uncover the hidden layers of biodiversity knowledge across diverse ecoregions, shedding light on the gaps, biases, and systemic challenges that have long obscured our understanding of species diversity and distribution. Dr. Fukushima will explore how public engagement with biodiversity varies across regions and how scientific research contributes to advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

At its core, the project aims to make the “invisible” visible, bringing attention to overlooked species and ecoregions while addressing the challenges of scientific and societal ignorance. These efforts are critical for safeguarding ecosystems, reducing global inequalities, and enhancing human well-being in the face of ongoing environmental crises.

This project is a perfect match for the mission and expertise of our lab and will involve the active participation of our entire team and collaboration with external partners, reflecting our lab’s commitment to fostering collective efforts in biodiversity research and conservation.

We are excited to see the contributions her research will make to biodiversity conservation and global sustainability efforts. Stay tuned for updates as this exciting project unfolds!

For more information about Dr. Fukushima’s work and the Kone Foundation grant, visit Kone Foundation and her University of Turku profile.