Over the past 100 years, global warming and land-use changes have dramatically reshaped our environment, threatening biodiversity and forest ecosystems by causing habitat loss and shifts in plant communities. Species are disappearing at a rate 3–8 times higher due to human activities than from natural causes. The potential effect of anthropogenic climate change on the species distribution can be effectively assessed through species distribution models (SDMs). Distribution models are further projected in geographic space by using estimations of past and future climatic patterns. This session welcomes research that connects paleoecology, biogeography, and conservation, especially studies that use fossil records to validate past models. By combining paleoclimate data with modern modeling, we can better understand how species have migrated or shifted their ranges over time and how they might respond in the future.