The increasing fragmentation of natural habitats affects viability and genetic architecture of animal and plant populations. We aim to study the “genetic erosion” process by comparing recently fragmented populations with DNA samples from museum specimens dating back before the fragmentation event. This project involves a pilot study on a restricted dataset of birds in fragmented montane forest in Kenya, in collaboration with the Centre for Tropical Biodiversity in Copenhagen. We aim to prepare project proposals for the 5th Framework Programme that will further explore and apply this methodology.