Phenologyhas achieveda prominentposition incurrent scenarios of global changeresearch givenits role inmon- itoring and predicting the timing of recurrent life cycle events. However, the implications of phenology to envi- ronmental conservation and management remain poorly explored. Here, we present the fi rst explicit appraisal of how phenology — amultidisciplinaryscienceencompassingbiometeorology, ecology,andevolutionarybiology — can make a key contribution to contemporary conservation biology. We focus on shifts in plant phenology in- duced by global change, their impacts on species diversity and plant – animal interactions in the tropics, and how conservation efforts could be enhanced in relation to plant resource organization. We identify the effects of phenological changes and mismatches in the maintenance and conservation of mutualistic interactions, and examine how phenological research can contribute to evaluate, manage and mitigate the consequences of land-use change and other natural and anthropogenic disturbances, such as fi re, exotic and invasive species. We also identify cutting-edge tools that can improve the spatial and temporal coverage of phenological monitor- ing, from satellites to drones and digital cameras. We highlight the role of historical information in recovering long-term phenological time series, and track climate-related shifts in tropical systems. Finally, we propose a set of measures to boost the contribution ofphenologyto conservation science.Weadvocate the inclusion of phe- nology into predictive models integrating evolutionary history to identify species groups that are either resilient or sensitive to future climate-change scenarios, and understand how phenological mismatches can affect com- munity dynamics, ecosystem services, and conservation over time.
