Rosie Drinkwater

I am an ecologist and conservation geneticist, my passion is genetic techniques to understand the biodiversity we see around us. There is no place on earth more magical and full of wierd and wonderful species than the rainforest. However, sadly these are some of the most underpressure ecosystems in the world. My current research is focused on the conservation genetics of endangered mammals in Indonesia. Using ancient DNA and forensic genomic techniques, I am looking back into the past of these species to analysis the ancestry of the living wild populations of mammals. I have worked in SE Asia for many years, and previously spent my PhD running around the rainforests in Borneo collecting blood feeding leeches. This area is under intense pressure from palm oil agriculture and our aim is to use the DNA in the blood meal of the leeches as way of surveying the mammalian biodiversity in threatened forest patches. With money for conservation always tight, there is potential this techique could be used as a way of conducting rapid biodiversity assessments, in order to direct funds for projects accordingly. Leeches are easy to find, forest mammals are not! Also bloodfeeding leeches are great in their own right! Along the way I have also tried sequenced DNA from all and any samples! Including water, air, dung beetle guts and animal dung from multiple species!

December 2020