Haitian specimens in the UVM Fluid Collections as a potential tool for research and conservation

The UVM fluid collections hold a number of Haitian specimens collected by UVM researchers on expeditions in the early 1970s. Since then, Haitian rainforests have faced ecological devastation, causing many indigenous species to become critically endangered or extinct- meaning Haitian specimens are exceedingly rare in collections worldwide. Our careful preservation, accessioning, and digitization of these critical specimens ensures the genetic and morphological data within these specimens is accessible to researchers, allowing them to understand pre-bottleneck diversity of these species, advise future conservation efforts, and help raise public awareness about the danger Haitian wildlife continues to face.