1
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Hylander K, Nemomissa S, Fischer J, Zewdie B, Ayalew B, Tack AJM. Lessons from Ethiopian coffee landscapes for global conservation in a post-wild world. Commun Biol 2024; 7:714. [PMID: 38858451 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06381-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The reality for conservation of biodiversity across our planet is that all ecosystems are modified by humans in some way or another. Thus, biodiversity conservation needs to be implemented in multifunctional landscapes. In this paper we use a fascinating coffee-dominated landscape in southwest Ethiopia as our lens to derive general lessons for biodiversity conservation in a post-wild world. Considering a hierarchy of scales from genes to multi-species interactions and social-ecological system contexts, we focus on (i) threats to the genetic diversity of crop wild relatives, (ii) the mechanisms behind trade-offs between biodiversity and agricultural yields, (iii) underexplored species interactions suppressing pest and disease levels, (iv) how the interactions of climate change and land-use change sometimes provide opportunities for restoration, and finally, (v) how to work closely with stakeholders to identify scenarios for sustainable development. The story on how the ecology and evolution of coffee within its indigenous distribution shape biodiversity conservation from genes to social-ecological systems can inspire us to view other landscapes with fresh eyes. The ubiquitous presence of human-nature interactions demands proactive, creative solutions to foster biodiversity conservation not only in remote protected areas but across entire landscapes inhabited by people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristoffer Hylander
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Sileshi Nemomissa
- Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Joern Fischer
- Leuphana University, Faculty of Sustainability, Scharnhorststrasse 1, 21335, Lueneburg, Germany
| | - Beyene Zewdie
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Biruk Ayalew
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ayco J M Tack
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
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2
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Hussain ST, Baumann C. The human side of biodiversity: coevolution of the human niche, palaeo-synanthropy and ecosystem complexity in the deep human past. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230021. [PMID: 38583478 PMCID: PMC10999276 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Today's biodiversity crisis fundamentally threatens the habitability of the planet, thus ranking among the primary human challenges of our time. Much emphasis is currently placed on the loss of biodiversity in the Anthropocene, yet these debates often portray biodiversity as a purely natural phenomenon without much consideration of its human dimensions and frequently lack long-term vistas. This paper offers a deep-time perspective on the key role of the evolving human niche in ecosystem functioning and biodiversity dynamics. We summarize research on past hunter-gatherer ecosystem contributions and argue that human-environment feedback systems with important biodiversity consequences are probably a recurrent feature of the Late Pleistocene, perhaps with even deeper roots. We update current understandings of the human niche in this light and suggest that the formation of palaeo-synanthropic niches in other animals proffers a powerful model system to investigate recursive interactions of foragers and ecosystems. Archaeology holds important knowledge here and shows that ecosystem contributions vary greatly in relation to different human lifeways, some of which are lost today. We therefore recommend paying more attention to the intricate relationship between biodiversity and cultural diversity, contending that promotion of the former depends on fostering the latter. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ecological novelty and planetary stewardship: biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shumon T. Hussain
- MESH – Center for Multidisciplinary Environmental Studies in the Humanities & Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology, University of Cologne, Weyertal 59, 50937 Cologne, Germany
- Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Aarhus University, Moesgård Allé 20, 8270 Højbjerg, Denmark
- BIOCHANGE – Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 116, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Chris Baumann
- Biogeology Research Group, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstrasse 12, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, PL 64 (Gustaf Hällströmin katu 2), 00014 Helsinki, Finland
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3
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Boivin N, Braje T, Rick T. New opportunities emerge as the Anthropocene epoch vote falls short. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:844-845. [PMID: 38499873 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02392-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Boivin
- Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany.
- School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
- Griffith Sciences, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Todd Braje
- Museum of Natural and Cultural History, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Torben Rick
- Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
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4
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Ellis EC. The Anthropocene condition: evolving through social-ecological transformations. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20220255. [PMID: 37952626 PMCID: PMC10645118 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic planetary disruptions, from climate change to biodiversity loss, are unprecedented challenges for human societies. Some societies, social groups, cultural practices, technologies and institutions are already disintegrating or disappearing as a result. However, this coupling of socially produced environmental challenges with disruptive social changes-the Anthropocene condition-is not new. From food-producing hunter-gatherers, to farmers, to urban industrial food systems, the current planetary entanglement has its roots in millennia of evolving and accumulating sociocultural capabilities for shaping the cultured environments that our societies have always lived in (sociocultural niche construction). When these transformative capabilities to shape environments are coupled with sociocultural adaptations enabling societies to more effectively shape and live in transformed environments, the social-ecological scales and intensities of these transformations can accelerate through a positive feedback loop of 'runaway sociocultural niche construction'. Efforts to achieve a better future for both people and planet will depend on guiding this runaway evolutionary process towards better outcomes by redirecting Earth's most disruptive force of nature: the power of human aspirations. To guide this unprecedented planetary force, cultural narratives that appeal to human aspirations for a better future will be more effective than narratives of environmental crisis and overstepping natural boundaries. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolution and sustainability: gathering the strands for an Anthropocene synthesis'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erle C. Ellis
- Department of Geography & Environmental Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
- Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford, 34 Broad St, Oxford OX1 3BD, UK
- Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography & Environment, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK
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5
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Baumann C, Hussain ST, Roblíčková M, Riede F, Mannino MA, Bocherens H. Evidence for hunter-gatherer impacts on raven diet and ecology in the Gravettian of Southern Moravia. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:1302-1314. [PMID: 37349568 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02107-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
The earlier Gravettian of Southern Moravia-the Pavlovian-is notable for the many raven bones (Corvus corax) documented in its faunal assemblages. On the basis of the rich zooarchaeological and settlement data from the Pavlovian, previous work suggested that common ravens were attracted by human domestic activities and subsequently captured by Pavlovian people, presumably for feathers and perhaps food. Here, we report independent δ15N, δ13C and δ34S stable isotope data obtained from 12 adult ravens from the Pavlovian key sites of Předmostí I, Pavlov I and Dolní Věstonice I to test this idea. We show that Pavlovian ravens regularly fed on larger herbivores and especially mammoths, aligning in feeding preferences with contemporaneous Gravettian foragers. We argue that opportunistic-generalist ravens were encouraged by human settlement and carcass provisioning. Our data may thus provide surprisingly early evidence for incipient synanthropism among Palaeolithic ravens. We suggest that anthropogenic manipulation of carrion supply dynamics furnished unique contexts for the emergence of human-oriented animal behaviours, in turn promoting novel human foraging opportunities-dynamics which are therefore important for understanding early hunter-gatherer ecosystem impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Baumann
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Biogeology Research Group, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Shumon T Hussain
- Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
- BIOCHANGE - Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
- Center for Environmental Humanities (CEH), School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | | | - Felix Riede
- Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- BIOCHANGE - Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Marcello A Mannino
- Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Hervé Bocherens
- Biogeology Research Group, Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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6
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Salomon AK, Okamoto DK, Wilson ḴBJ, Tommy Happynook H, Mack WA, Allan Davidson SH, Guujaaw G, L Humchitt WWH, Happynook TM, Cox WC, Gillette HF, Christiansen NS, Dragon D, Kobluk HM, Lee LC, Tinker MT, Silver JJ, Armitage D, McKechnie I, MacNeil A, Hillis D, Muhl EK, Gregr EJ, Commander CJC, Augustine A. Disrupting and diversifying the values, voices and governance principles that shape biodiversity science and management. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220196. [PMID: 37246378 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023] Open
Abstract
With climate, biodiversity and inequity crises squarely upon us, never has there been a more pressing time to rethink how we conceptualize, understand and manage our relationship with Earth's biodiversity. Here, we describe governance principles of 17 Indigenous Nations from the Northwest Coast of North America used to understand and steward relationships among all components of nature, including humans. We then chart the colonial origins of biodiversity science and use the complex case of sea otter recovery to illuminate how ancestral governance principles can be mobilized to characterize, manage and restore biodiversity in more inclusive, integrative and equitable ways. To enhance environmental sustainability, resilience and social justice amid today's crises, we need to broaden who benefits from and participates in the sciences of biodiversity by expanding the values and methodologies that shape such initiatives. In practice, biodiversity conservation and natural resource management need to shift from centralized, siloed approaches to those that can accommodate plurality in values, objectives, governance systems, legal traditions and ways of knowing. In doing so, developing solutions to our planetary crises becomes a shared responsibility. This article is part of the theme issue 'Detecting and attributing the causes of biodiversity change: needs, gaps and solutions'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne K Salomon
- School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6
| | - Daniel K Okamoto
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, 319 Stadium Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32303, USA
| | | | - Hiininaasim Tommy Happynook
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8W 2Y2
| | | | | | - Gidansda Guujaaw
- Haida Nation, Skidegate, Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada V0T 1S1
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Dianna Dragon
- Che:k:tles7et'h' Nation, Kyuquot, British Columbia, Canada VOP 1J0
| | - Hannah M Kobluk
- School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6
| | - Lynn C Lee
- Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, and Haida Heritage Site, 60 Second Beach Road, Skidegate, British Columbia, Canada V0T 1S1
| | - M Tim Tinker
- Nhydra Ecological Consulting, 11 Parklea Drive, Head of St Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada B3Z 2G6
| | - Jennifer J Silver
- Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1
| | - Derek Armitage
- School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
| | - Iain McKechnie
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8W 2Y2
| | - Aaron MacNeil
- Ocean Frontier Institute, Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 4R2
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 4R2
| | - Dylan Hillis
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, PO Box 1700 STN CSC, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8W 2Y2
| | - Ella-Kari Muhl
- School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
| | - Edward J Gregr
- Institute for Resources Environment, and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
- Scitech Environmental Consulting 2136 Napier St., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V5L 2N9
| | - Christian J C Commander
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, 319 Stadium Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32303, USA
| | - Arianna Augustine
- Stz'uminus Nation, 1041-B Trunk Rd, Duncan, British Columbia, Canada V9L 2S4
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7
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von Jeetze PJ, Weindl I, Johnson JA, Borrelli P, Panagos P, Molina Bacca EJ, Karstens K, Humpenöder F, Dietrich JP, Minoli S, Müller C, Lotze-Campen H, Popp A. Projected landscape-scale repercussions of global action for climate and biodiversity protection. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2515. [PMID: 37193693 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38043-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Land conservation and increased carbon uptake on land are fundamental to achieving the ambitious targets of the climate and biodiversity conventions. Yet, it remains largely unknown how such ambitions, along with an increasing demand for agricultural products, could drive landscape-scale changes and affect other key regulating nature's contributions to people (NCP) that sustain land productivity outside conservation priority areas. By using an integrated, globally consistent modelling approach, we show that ambitious carbon-focused land restoration action and the enlargement of protected areas alone may be insufficient to reverse negative trends in landscape heterogeneity, pollination supply, and soil loss. However, we also find that these actions could be combined with dedicated interventions that support critical NCP and biodiversity conservation outside of protected areas. In particular, our models indicate that conserving at least 20% semi-natural habitat within farmed landscapes could primarily be achieved by spatially relocating cropland outside conservation priority areas, without additional carbon losses from land-use change, primary land conversion or reductions in agricultural productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick José von Jeetze
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association, PO Box 601203, 14412, Potsdam, Germany.
- Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Isabelle Weindl
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association, PO Box 601203, 14412, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Justin Andrew Johnson
- Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota, 1940 Buford Ave, Saint Paul, MN, 55105, USA
| | - Pasquale Borrelli
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Environmental Geosciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Science, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy
| | - Panos Panagos
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra (VA), IT-21027, Italy
| | - Edna J Molina Bacca
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association, PO Box 601203, 14412, Potsdam, Germany
- Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kristine Karstens
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association, PO Box 601203, 14412, Potsdam, Germany
- Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Florian Humpenöder
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association, PO Box 601203, 14412, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Jan Philipp Dietrich
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association, PO Box 601203, 14412, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Sara Minoli
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association, PO Box 601203, 14412, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Christoph Müller
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association, PO Box 601203, 14412, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Hermann Lotze-Campen
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association, PO Box 601203, 14412, Potsdam, Germany
- Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Alexander Popp
- Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Member of the Leibniz Association, PO Box 601203, 14412, Potsdam, Germany
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8
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Losapio G, Genes L, Knight CJ, McFadden TN, Pavan L. Monitoring and modelling the effects of ecosystem engineers on ecosystem functioning. Funct Ecol 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gianalberto Losapio
- Department of Biology Stanford University Stanford California USA
- Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne Lausanne Switzerland
- Department of Biosciences University of Milan Milan Italy
| | - Luísa Genes
- Department of Biology Stanford University Stanford California USA
| | | | - Tyler N. McFadden
- Department of Biology Stanford University Stanford California USA
- College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon USA
| | - Lucas Pavan
- Department of Biology Stanford University Stanford California USA
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9
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Souther S, Colombo S, Lyndon NN. Integrating traditional ecological knowledge into US public land management: Knowledge gaps and research priorities. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.988126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is an understanding of natural systems acquired through long-term human interactions with particular landscapes. Traditional knowledge systems complement western scientific disciplines by providing a holistic assessment of ecosystem dynamics and extending the time horizon of ecological observations. Integration of TEK into land management is a key priority of numerous groups, including the United Nations and US public land management agencies; however, TEK principles have rarely been enshrined in national-level US policy or planning. We review over 20 years of TEK literature to describe key applications of TEK to ecological understanding, conservation, restoration and land management generally. By identifying knowledge gaps, we highlight research avenues to support the integration of TEK into US public land management, in order to enhance conservation approaches and participation of historically underrepresented groups, particularly American Indian Tribes, in the stewardship of ancestral lands critical to the practice of living cultural traditions.
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10
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Roos CI, Guiterman CH, Margolis EQ, Swetnam TW, Laluk NC, Thompson KF, Toya C, Farris CA, Fulé PZ, Iniguez JM, Kaib JM, O'Connor CD, Whitehair L. Indigenous fire management and cross-scale fire-climate relationships in the Southwest United States from 1500 to 1900 CE. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabq3221. [PMID: 36475806 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq3221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Prior research suggests that Indigenous fire management buffers climate influences on wildfires, but it is unclear whether these benefits accrue across geographic scales. We use a network of 4824 fire-scarred trees in Southwest United States dry forests to analyze up to 400 years of fire-climate relationships at local, landscape, and regional scales for traditional territories of three different Indigenous cultures. Comparison of fire-year and prior climate conditions for periods of intensive cultural use and less-intensive use indicates that Indigenous fire management weakened fire-climate relationships at local and landscape scales. This effect did not scale up across the entire region because land use was spatially and temporally heterogeneous at that scale. Restoring or emulating Indigenous fire practices could buffer climate impacts at local scales but would need to be repeatedly implemented at broad scales for broader regional benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher I Roos
- Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Christopher H Guiterman
- CIRES, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Ellis Q Margolis
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, New Mexico Landscapes Field Station, Santa Fe, NM, USA
| | - Thomas W Swetnam
- Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Nicholas C Laluk
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Kerry F Thompson
- Department of Anthropology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Chris Toya
- Natural Resources Department, Pueblo of Jemez, Jemez, NM, USA
| | - Calvin A Farris
- National Park Service Regions 8, 9, 10, and 12, PO Box 1713, Klamath Falls, OR, USA
| | - Peter Z Fulé
- School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Jose M Iniguez
- Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - J Mark Kaib
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | | | - Lionel Whitehair
- School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
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11
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Phelps LN, Andela N, Gravey M, Davis DS, Kull CA, Douglass K, Lehmann CER. Madagascar's fire regimes challenge global assumptions about landscape degradation. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:6944-6960. [PMID: 35582991 PMCID: PMC9790435 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Narratives of landscape degradation are often linked to unsustainable fire use by local communities. Madagascar is a case in point: the island is considered globally exceptional, with its remarkable endemic biodiversity viewed as threatened by unsustainable anthropogenic fire. Yet, fire regimes on Madagascar have not been empirically characterised or globally contextualised. Here, we contribute a comparative approach to determining relationships between regional fire regimes and global patterns and trends, applied to Madagascar using MODIS remote sensing data (2003-2019). Rather than a global exception, we show that Madagascar's fire regimes are similar to 88% of tropical burned area with shared climate and vegetation characteristics, and can be considered a microcosm of most tropical fire regimes. From 2003-2019, landscape-scale fire declined across tropical grassy biomes (17%-44% excluding Madagascar), and on Madagascar at a relatively fast rate (36%-46%). Thus, high tree loss anomalies on the island (1.25-4.77× the tropical average) were not explained by any general expansion of landscape-scale fire in grassy biomes. Rather, tree loss anomalies centred in forests, and could not be explained by landscape-scale fire escaping from savannas into forests. Unexpectedly, the highest tree loss anomalies on Madagascar (4.77×) occurred in environments without landscape-scale fire, where the role of small-scale fires (<21 h [0.21 km2 ]) is unknown. While landscape-scale fire declined across tropical grassy biomes, trends in tropical forests reflected important differences among regions, indicating a need to better understand regional variation in the anthropogenic drivers of forest loss and fire risk. Our new understanding of Madagascar's fire regimes offers two lessons with global implications: first, landscape-scale fire is declining across tropical grassy biomes and does not explain high tree loss anomalies on Madagascar. Second, landscape-scale fire is not uniformly associated with tropical forest loss, indicating a need for socio-ecological context in framing new narratives of fire and ecosystem degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leanne N. Phelps
- School of GeoSciencesUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
- Tropical Diversity, Royal Botanic Garden EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Niels Andela
- School of Earth and Environmental SciencesCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
| | - Mathieu Gravey
- Institute of Earth Surface DynamicsUniversity of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Dylan S. Davis
- Department of AnthropologyThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Christian A. Kull
- Institute of Geography and SustainabilityUniversity of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Kristina Douglass
- Department of AnthropologyThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
- Institutes of Energy and the EnvironmentThe Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Caroline E. R. Lehmann
- School of GeoSciencesUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
- Tropical Diversity, Royal Botanic Garden EdinburghEdinburghUK
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12
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Crabtree SA, Dunne JA. Towards a science of archaeoecology. Trends Ecol Evol 2022; 37:976-984. [PMID: 36055892 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
We propose defining a field of research called 'archaeoecology' that examines the past ~60 000 years of interactions between humans and ecosystems to better understand the human place within them. Archaeoecology explicitly integrates questions, data, and approaches from archaeology and ecology, and coalesces recent and future studies that demonstrate the usefulness of integrating archaeological, environmental, and ecological data for understanding the past. Defining a subfield of archaeoecology, much as the related fields of environmental archaeology and palaeoecology have emerged as distinct areas of research, provides a clear intellectual context for helping us to understand the trajectory of human-ecosystem interactions in the past, during the present, and into the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefani A Crabtree
- Department of Environment and Society, College of Natural Resources, Utah State University, 5200 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-5200, USA; The Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5205 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-5200, USA; Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, James Cook University, PO Box 6811, Cairns, QLD 4870, Australia; Crow Canyon Research Institute, 23390 County Road K, Cortez, CO 81321, USA.
| | - Jennifer A Dunne
- Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA.
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13
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Spate M, Leipe C, Motuzaite Matuzeviciute G. Reviewing the Palaeoenvironmental Record to Better Understand Long-Term Human-Environment Interaction in Inner Asia During the Late Holocene. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.939374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The Middle to Late Holocene spread of agropastoralism throughout Eurasia not only subjected domesticated taxa to stressors associated with novel environments but also induced changes in these environments following the introduction of these social-ecological systems. The mountainous region of Inner Asia comprises various steppe, meadow, and forest landscapes where zooarchaeological evidence suggests occupation by herding populations as early as 7,000 years Before Present (BP). Recent archaeobotanical findings indicate the introduction of cropping and the development of agropastoralism around 4,500 BP. Here, we review and synthesize palaeoenvironmental studies and data to examine anthropogenic impacts and modifications of these landscapes. From around 4,000 BP, we find significant changes in palynomorph, charcoal, sediment, and other proxy data, related to the introduction of agriculture to the region, with later intensifications in land use indicators at around 2,000 and 1,000 BP. We note that these impacts are not uniform or continuous through and across the records and may be evidence of shifting phases of occupation and landscape management. This temporal and spatial variability may also be a response to shifts in moisture availability due to long-term Holocene changes in the intensity of the summer monsoon and Westerly circulation systems. Changes in arboreal pollen indicate the development of intensified use of forest resources in the region, which we identify as a topic for future investigation. Based on these data, we stress the long-term human paleoecology in the study area and argue that traditional agropastoralist systems should be considered in future programs of landscape conservation in the region. This study also emphasizes the importance of future local scale multiproxy studies into past anthropogenic changes within the Inner Asian landscape.
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14
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Bowman DMJS, Williamson GJ, Johnston FH, Bowman CJW, Murphy BP, Roos CI, Trauernicht C, Rostron J, Prior LD. Population collapse of a Gondwanan conifer follows the loss of Indigenous fire regimes in a northern Australian savanna. Sci Rep 2022; 12:9081. [PMID: 35641570 PMCID: PMC9156674 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12946-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Colonialism has disrupted Indigenous socioecological systems around the globe, including those supported by intentional landscape burning. Because most disruptions happened centuries ago, our understanding of Indigenous fire management is largely inferential and open to debate. Here, we investigate the ecological consequences of the loss of traditional Aboriginal fire management on fire-exposed savannas on the Arnhem Plateau, northern Australia, using the fire-sensitive conifer Callitris intratropica as a bio-indicator. We contrast Kakadu National Park, where traditional Aboriginal fire management was severely disrupted during the early twentieth century following Aboriginal relocation to surrounding settlements, and an adjacent Aboriginal estate where traditional Aboriginal fire management endures. Since 2006, traditional Aboriginal fire management at this site has been overlaid by a program of broad-scale institutionalized burning in the early dry season, designed to reduce greenhouse emissions. Using remote sensing, field survey, and dendrochronology, we show that on the Aboriginal estate, C. intratropica populations depend on the creation of a shifting patch mosaic of long unburned areas necessary for the recruitment of C. intratropica. However, the imposition of broad-scale fire management is disrupting this population patch dynamic. In Kakadu, there have been extreme declines of C. intratropica associated with widespread fires since the mid twentieth century and consequent proliferation of grass fuels. Fire management in Kakadu since 2007, designed to increase the size and abundance of patches of unburned vegetation, has not been able to reverse the population collapse of C. intratropica. Our study demonstrates that colonial processes including relocation of Indigenous people and institutional fire management can have deleterious consequences that are nearly irreversible because of hysteresis in C. intratropica population dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M J S Bowman
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay, Private Bag 55, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia.
| | - Grant J Williamson
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay, Private Bag 55, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia
| | - Fay H Johnston
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 7000, Australia
| | - Clarence J W Bowman
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay, Private Bag 55, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia
| | - Brett P Murphy
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, 0909, Australia
| | - Christopher I Roos
- Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, 75275, USA
| | - Clay Trauernicht
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA
| | - Joshua Rostron
- , Korlorbirrahda Outstation, Maningrida, NT, 0822, Australia
| | - Lynda D Prior
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay, Private Bag 55, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia
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15
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Reeder-Myers L, Braje TJ, Hofman CA, Elliott Smith EA, Garland CJ, Grone M, Hadden CS, Hatch M, Hunt T, Kelley A, LeFebvre MJ, Lockman M, McKechnie I, McNiven IJ, Newsom B, Pluckhahn T, Sanchez G, Schwadron M, Smith KY, Smith T, Spiess A, Tayac G, Thompson VD, Vollman T, Weitzel EM, Rick TC. Indigenous oyster fisheries persisted for millennia and should inform future management. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2383. [PMID: 35504907 PMCID: PMC9065011 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29818-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Historical ecology has revolutionized our understanding of fisheries and cultural landscapes, demonstrating the value of historical data for evaluating the past, present, and future of Earth’s ecosystems. Despite several important studies, Indigenous fisheries generally receive less attention from scholars and managers than the 17th–20th century capitalist commercial fisheries that decimated many keystone species, including oysters. We investigate Indigenous oyster harvest through time in North America and Australia, placing these data in the context of sea level histories and historical catch records. Indigenous oyster fisheries were pervasive across space and through time, persisting for 5000–10,000 years or more. Oysters were likely managed and sometimes “farmed,” and are woven into broader cultural, ritual, and social traditions. Effective stewardship of oyster reefs and other marine fisheries around the world must center Indigenous histories and include Indigenous community members to co-develop more inclusive, just, and successful strategies for restoration, harvest, and management. ‘Commercial fisheries have decimated keystone species, including oysters in the past 200 years. Here, the authors examine how Indigenous oyster harvest in North America and Australia was managed across 10,000 years, advocating for effective future stewardship of oyster reefs by centering Indigenous peoples.’
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Todd J Braje
- San Diego State University, Department of Anthropology, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Courtney A Hofman
- University of Oklahoma, Department of Anthropology, Norman, OK, USA.,University of Oklahoma, Laboratories of Molecular Anthropology and Microbiome Research, Norman, OK, USA
| | - Emma A Elliott Smith
- National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Department of Anthropology, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Carey J Garland
- University of Georgia, Department of Anthropology, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Michael Grone
- California Department of Parks and Recreation, Santa Cruz District, Felton, CA, USA
| | - Carla S Hadden
- University of Georgia, Center for Applied Isotope Studies, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Marco Hatch
- Western Washington University, Environmental Science, Bellingham, WA, USA
| | - Turner Hunt
- Muscogee Nation, Department of Historical and Cultural Preservation, Okmulgee, OK, USA
| | - Alice Kelley
- University of Maine, School of Earth and Climate Sciences, Orono, ME, USA.,University of Maine, Climate Change Institute, Orono, Maine, USA
| | - Michelle J LeFebvre
- University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Michael Lockman
- National Park Service, Southeast Archeological Center, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Iain McKechnie
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Ian J McNiven
- Monash University, Monash Indigenous Studies Centre, ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity & Heritage, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Bonnie Newsom
- University of Maine, Climate Change Institute, Orono, Maine, USA.,University of Maine, Department of Anthropology, Orono, ME, USA
| | - Thomas Pluckhahn
- University of South Florida, Department of Anthropology, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Gabriel Sanchez
- Michigan State University, Department of Anthropology, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Margo Schwadron
- National Park Service, Southeast Archeological Center, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Karen Y Smith
- South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Heritage Trust Program, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Tam Smith
- University of Queensland, School of Social Science, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Arthur Spiess
- Maine Historic Preservation Commission, Augusta, ME, USA
| | - Gabrielle Tayac
- George Mason University, Department of History and Art History, Fairfax, VA, USA
| | | | - Taylor Vollman
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Elic M Weitzel
- University of Connecticut, Department of Anthropology, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Torben C Rick
- National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Department of Anthropology, Washington, DC, USA. .,Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Department of Archaeology, Jena, Germany.
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16
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Montgomery RA, Pointer AM, Jingo S, Kasozi H, Ogada M, Mudumba T. OUP accepted manuscript. Bioscience 2022; 72:549-559. [PMID: 35677291 PMCID: PMC9169897 DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biac008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Because biodiversity loss has largely been attributed to human actions, people, particularly those in the Global South, are regularly depicted as threats to conservation. This context has facilitated rapid growth in green militarization, with fierce crackdowns against real or perceived environmental offenders. We designed an undergraduate course to assess student perspectives on biodiversity conservation and social justice and positioned those students to contribute to a human heritage-centered conservation (HHCC) initiative situated in Uganda. We evaluated changes in perspectives using pre- and postcourse surveys and reflection instruments. Although the students started the course prioritizing biodiversity conservation, even when it was costly to human well-being, by the end of the course, they were recognizing and remarking on the central importance of social justice within conservation. We present a framework for further integration of HHCC approaches into higher education courses so as to conserve the integrity of coupled human and natural systems globally.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sophia Jingo
- Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States
| | - Herbert Kasozi
- Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States
| | | | - Tutilo Mudumba
- Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, United States
- Department of Zoology, Entomology, and Fisheries Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
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17
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Roebroeks W, MacDonald K, Scherjon F, Bakels C, Kindler L, Nikulina A, Pop E, Gaudzinski-Windheuser S. Landscape modification by Last Interglacial Neanderthals. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabj5567. [PMID: 34910514 PMCID: PMC8673775 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj5567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Little is known about the antiquity, nature, and scale of Pleistocene hunter-gatherer impact on their ecosystems, despite the importance for studies of conservation and human evolution. Such impact is likely to be limited, mainly because of low population densities, and challenging to detect and interpret in terms of cause-effect dynamics. We present high-resolution paleoenvironmental and archaeological data from the Last Interglacial locality of Neumark-Nord (Germany). Among the factors that shaped vegetation structure and succession in this lake landscape, we identify a distinct ecological footprint of hominin activities, including fire use. We compare these data with evidence from archaeological and baseline sites from the same region. At Neumark-Nord, notably open vegetation coincides with a virtually continuous c. 2000-year-long hominin presence, and the comparative data strongly suggest that hominins were a contributing factor. With an age of c. 125,000 years, Neumark-Nord provides an early example of a hominin role in vegetation transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wil Roebroeks
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Katharine MacDonald
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Fulco Scherjon
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Corrie Bakels
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Lutz Kindler
- MONREPOS Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution, Schloss Monrepos, 56567 Neuwied, Germany
- Institute of Ancient Studies, Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Schönborner Hof, Schillerstraße 11, 55116 Mainz, Germany
| | - Anastasia Nikulina
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Eduard Pop
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
- Naturalis Biodiversity Centre, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Sabine Gaudzinski-Windheuser
- MONREPOS Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution, Schloss Monrepos, 56567 Neuwied, Germany
- Institute of Ancient Studies, Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Schönborner Hof, Schillerstraße 11, 55116 Mainz, Germany
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18
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Fletcher MS, Hamilton R, Dressler W, Palmer L. Indigenous knowledge and the shackles of wilderness. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2022218118. [PMID: 34580210 PMCID: PMC8501882 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2022218118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The environmental crises currently gripping the Earth have been codified in a new proposed geological epoch: the Anthropocene. This epoch, according to the Anthropocene Working Group, began in the mid-20th century and reflects the "great acceleration" that began with industrialization in Europe [J. Zalasiewicz et al., Anthropocene 19, 55-60 (2017)]. Ironically, European ideals of protecting a pristine "wilderness," free from the damaging role of humans, is still often heralded as the antidote to this human-induced crisis [J. E. M. Watson et al., Nature, 563, 27-30 (2018)]. Despite decades of critical engagement by Indigenous and non-Indigenous observers, large international nongovernmental organizations, philanthropists, global institutions, and nation-states continue to uphold the notion of pristine landscapes as wilderness in conservation ideals and practices. In doing so, dominant global conservation policy and public perceptions still fail to recognize that Indigenous and local peoples have long valued, used, and shaped "high-value" biodiverse landscapes. Moreover, the exclusion of people from many of these places under the guise of wilderness protection has degraded their ecological condition and is hastening the demise of a number of highly valued systems. Rather than denying Indigenous and local peoples' agency, access rights, and knowledge in conserving their territories, we draw upon a series of case studies to argue that wilderness is an inappropriate and dehumanizing construct, and that Indigenous and community conservation areas must be legally recognized and supported to enable socially just, empowering, and sustainable conservation across scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael-Shawn Fletcher
- School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia;
- Indigenous Knowledge Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
| | - Rebecca Hamilton
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
- Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Wolfram Dressler
- School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Lisa Palmer
- School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
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19
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Slade E, McKechnie I, Salomon AK. Archaeological and Contemporary Evidence Indicates Low Sea Otter Prevalence on the Pacific Northwest Coast During the Late Holocene. Ecosystems 2021; 25:548-566. [PMID: 35509679 PMCID: PMC9016008 DOI: 10.1007/s10021-021-00671-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The historic extirpation and subsequent recovery of sea otters (Enhydra lutris) have profoundly changed coastal social-ecological systems across the northeastern Pacific. Today, the conservation status of sea otters is informed by estimates of population carrying capacity or growth rates independent of human impacts. However, archaeological and ethnographic evidence suggests that for millennia, complex hunting and management protocols by Indigenous communities limited sea otter abundance near human settlements to reduce the negative impacts of this keystone predator on shared shellfish prey. To assess relative sea otter prevalence in the Holocene, we compared the size structure of ancient California mussels (Mytilus californianus) from six archaeological sites in two regions on the Pacific Northwest Coast, to modern California mussels at locations with and without sea otters. We also quantified modern mussel size distributions from eight locations on the Central Coast of British Columbia, Canada, varying in sea otter occupation time. Comparisons of mussel size spectra revealed that ancient mussel size distributions are consistently more similar to modern size distributions at locations with a prolonged absence of sea otters. This indicates that late Holocene sea otters were maintained well below carrying capacity near human settlements as a result of human intervention. These findings illuminate the conditions under which sea otters and humans persisted over millennia prior to the Pacific maritime fur trade and raise important questions about contemporary conservation objectives for an iconic marine mammal and the social-ecological system in which it is embedded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin Slade
- School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6 Canada
| | - Iain McKechnie
- Historical Ecology & Coastal Archaeology Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, Cornett B246a, 3800 Finnerty Rd, Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2 Canada
- Hakai Institute, Heriot Bay, Quadra Island, British Columbia Canada
- Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, Bamfield, British Columbia V0R 1B0 Canada
| | - Anne K. Salomon
- School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia V5A 1S6 Canada
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20
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Abstract
Large and severe wildfires are becoming increasingly common worldwide and are having extraordinary impacts on people and the species and ecosystems on which they depend. Indigenous peoples comprise only 5% of the world’s population but protect approximately 85% of the world’s biodiversity through stewardship of Indigenous-managed lands. Much of this is attributed to long-term and widespread relationships with and dependence on fire, which has been applied as a tool for managing landscapes for millennia. Fortunately, the revitalization of Indigenous fire stewardship is demonstrating the value of routinely applying controlled fire to adapt to changing environments while promoting desired landscapes, habitats, and species and supporting subsistence practices and livelihoods. Increasingly, severe wildfires have led to declines in biodiversity across all of Earth’s vegetated biomes [D. B. McWethy et al., Nat. Sustain. 2, 797–804 (2019)]. Unfortunately, the displacement of Indigenous peoples and place-based societies that rely on and routinely practice fire stewardship has resulted in significant declines in biodiversity and the functional roles of people in shaping pyrodiverse systems [R. Bliege Bird et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 117, 12904–12914 (2020)]. With the aim of assessing the impacts of Indigenous fire stewardship on biodiversity and species function across Earth’s major terrestrial biomes, we conducted a review of relevant primary data papers published from 1900 to present. We examined how the frequency, seasonality, and severity of human-ignited fires can improve or reduce reported metrics of biodiversity and habitat heterogeneity as well as changes to species composition across a range of taxa and spatial and temporal scales. A total of 79% of applicable studies reported increases in biodiversity as a result of fire stewardship, and 63% concluded that habitat heterogeneity was increased by the use of fire. All studies reported that fire stewardship occurred outside of the window of uncontrollable fire activity, and plants (woody and nonwoody vegetation) were the most intensively studied life forms. Three studies reported declines in biodiversity associated with increases in the use of high-severity fire as a result of the disruption of Indigenous-controlled fire regimes with the onset of colonization. Supporting Indigenous-led fire stewardship can assist with reviving important cultural practices while protecting human communities from increasingly severe wildfires, enhancing biodiversity, and increasing ecosystem heterogeneity.
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21
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Clarke MF, Kelly LT, Avitabile SC, Benshemesh J, Callister KE, Driscoll DA, Ewin P, Giljohann K, Haslem A, Kenny SA, Leonard S, Ritchie EG, Nimmo DG, Schedvin N, Schneider K, Watson SJ, Westbrooke M, White M, Wouters MA, Bennett AF. Fire and Its Interactions With Other Drivers Shape a Distinctive, Semi-Arid ‘Mallee’ Ecosystem. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.647557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Fire shapes ecosystems globally, including semi-arid ecosystems. In Australia, semi-arid ‘mallee’ ecosystems occur primarily across the southern part of the continent, forming an interface between the arid interior and temperate south. Mallee vegetation is characterized by short, multi-stemmed eucalypts that grow from a basal lignotuber. Fire shapes the structure and functioning of mallee ecosystems. Using the Murray Mallee region in south-eastern Australia as a case study, we examine the characteristics and role of fire, the consequences for biota, and the interaction of fire with other drivers. Wildfires in mallee ecosystems typically are large (1000s ha), burn with high severity, commonly cause top-kill of eucalypts, and create coarse-grained mosaics at a regional scale. Wildfires can occur in late spring and summer in both dry and wet years. Recovery of plant and animal communities is predictable and slow, with regeneration of eucalypts and many habitat components extending over decades. Time since the last fire strongly influences the distribution and abundance of many species and the structure of plant and animal communities. Animal species display a discrete set of generalized responses to time since fire. Systematic field studies and modeling are beginning to reveal how spatial variation in fire regimes (‘pyrodiversity’) at different scales shapes biodiversity. Pyrodiversity includes variation in the extent of post-fire habitats, the diversity of post-fire age-classes and their configuration. At regional scales, a desirable mix of fire histories for biodiversity conservation includes a combination of early, mid and late post-fire age-classes, weighted toward later seral stages that provide critical habitat for threatened species. Biodiversity is also influenced by interactions between fire and other drivers, including land clearing, rainfall, herbivory and predation. Extensive clearing for agriculture has altered the nature and impact of fire, and facilitated invasion by pest species that modify fuels, fire regimes and post-fire recovery. Given the natural and anthropogenic drivers of fire and the consequences of their interactions, we highlight opportunities for conserving mallee ecosystems. These include learning from and fostering Indigenous knowledge of fire, implementing actions that consider synergies between fire and other processes, and strategic monitoring of fire, biodiversity and other drivers to guide place-based, adaptive management under climate change.
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22
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Abstract
The current biodiversity crisis is often depicted as a struggle to preserve untouched habitats. Here, we combine global maps of human populations and land use over the past 12,000 y with current biodiversity data to show that nearly three quarters of terrestrial nature has long been shaped by diverse histories of human habitation and use by Indigenous and traditional peoples. With rare exceptions, current biodiversity losses are caused not by human conversion or degradation of untouched ecosystems, but rather by the appropriation, colonization, and intensification of use in lands inhabited and used by prior societies. Global land use history confirms that empowering the environmental stewardship of Indigenous peoples and local communities will be critical to conserving biodiversity across the planet. Archaeological and paleoecological evidence shows that by 10,000 BCE, all human societies employed varying degrees of ecologically transformative land use practices, including burning, hunting, species propagation, domestication, cultivation, and others that have left long-term legacies across the terrestrial biosphere. Yet, a lingering paradigm among natural scientists, conservationists, and policymakers is that human transformation of terrestrial nature is mostly recent and inherently destructive. Here, we use the most up-to-date, spatially explicit global reconstruction of historical human populations and land use to show that this paradigm is likely wrong. Even 12,000 y ago, nearly three quarters of Earth’s land was inhabited and therefore shaped by human societies, including more than 95% of temperate and 90% of tropical woodlands. Lands now characterized as “natural,” “intact,” and “wild” generally exhibit long histories of use, as do protected areas and Indigenous lands, and current global patterns of vertebrate species richness and key biodiversity areas are more strongly associated with past patterns of land use than with present ones in regional landscapes now characterized as natural. The current biodiversity crisis can seldom be explained by the loss of uninhabited wildlands, resulting instead from the appropriation, colonization, and intensifying use of the biodiverse cultural landscapes long shaped and sustained by prior societies. Recognizing this deep cultural connection with biodiversity will therefore be essential to resolve the crisis.
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23
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Smith JA, Gaynor KM, Suraci JP. Mismatch Between Risk and Response May Amplify Lethal and Non-lethal Effects of Humans on Wild Animal Populations. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.604973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Human activity has rapidly transformed the planet, leading to declines of animal populations around the world through a range of direct and indirect pathways. Humans have strong numerical effects on wild animal populations, as highly efficient hunters and through unintentional impacts of human activity and development. Human disturbance also induces costly non-lethal effects by changing the behavior of risk-averse animals. Here, we suggest that the unique strength of these lethal and non-lethal effects is amplified by mismatches between the nature of risk associated with anthropogenic stimuli and the corresponding response by wild animals. We discuss the unique characteristics of cues associated with anthropogenic stimuli in the context of animal ecology and evolutionary history to explore why and when animals fail to appropriately (a) detect, (b) assess, and (c) respond to both benign and lethal stimuli. We then explore the costs of over-response to a benign stimulus (Type I error) and under-response to a lethal stimulus (Type II error), which can scale up to affect individual fitness and ultimately drive population dynamics and shape ecological interactions. Finally, we highlight avenues for future research and discuss conservation measures that can better align animal perception and response with risk to mitigate unintended consequences of human disturbance.
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24
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Kelly LT, Giljohann KM, Duane A, Aquilué N, Archibald S, Batllori E, Bennett AF, Buckland ST, Canelles Q, Clarke MF, Fortin MJ, Hermoso V, Herrando S, Keane RE, Lake FK, McCarthy MA, Morán-Ordóñez A, Parr CL, Pausas JG, Penman TD, Regos A, Rumpff L, Santos JL, Smith AL, Syphard AD, Tingley MW, Brotons L. Fire and biodiversity in the Anthropocene. Science 2021; 370:370/6519/eabb0355. [PMID: 33214246 DOI: 10.1126/science.abb0355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Fire has been a source of global biodiversity for millions of years. However, interactions with anthropogenic drivers such as climate change, land use, and invasive species are changing the nature of fire activity and its impacts. We review how such changes are threatening species with extinction and transforming terrestrial ecosystems. Conservation of Earth's biological diversity will be achieved only by recognizing and responding to the critical role of fire. In the Anthropocene, this requires that conservation planning explicitly includes the combined effects of human activities and fire regimes. Improved forecasts for biodiversity must also integrate the connections among people, fire, and ecosystems. Such integration provides an opportunity for new actions that could revolutionize how society sustains biodiversity in a time of changing fire activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke T Kelly
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
| | | | - Andrea Duane
- InForest JRU (CTFC-CREAF), 25280 Solsona, Lleida, Spain
| | - Núria Aquilué
- InForest JRU (CTFC-CREAF), 25280 Solsona, Lleida, Spain.,Centre d'Étude de la Forêt, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3P8, Canada
| | - Sally Archibald
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Natural Resources and the Environment, CSIR, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Enric Batllori
- CREAF, Edifici C. Autonomous, University of Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Andrew F Bennett
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, Centre for Future Landscapes, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
| | - Stephen T Buckland
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9LZ, UK
| | - Quim Canelles
- InForest JRU (CTFC-CREAF), 25280 Solsona, Lleida, Spain
| | - Michael F Clarke
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, Centre for Future Landscapes, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
| | - Marie-Josée Fortin
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B2, Canada
| | | | - Sergi Herrando
- Catalan Ornithological Institute, Natural History Museum of Barcelona, 08019 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Robert E Keane
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT 59808, USA
| | - Frank K Lake
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station, Albany, CA 94710, USA
| | - Michael A McCarthy
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | | | - Catherine L Parr
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Department of Earth, Ocean & Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.,Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Juli G Pausas
- Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación (CIDE-CSIC), 46113 Montcada, Valencia, Spain
| | - Trent D Penman
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Adrián Regos
- Departamento de Zooloxía, Xenética e Antropoloxía Fisica, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.,CIBIO/InBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, ECOCHANGE Group, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Libby Rumpff
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Julianna L Santos
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Annabel L Smith
- School of Agriculture and Food Science, University of Queensland, Gatton 4343, Australia.,Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Alexandra D Syphard
- Vertus Wildfire, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA.,San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA.,Conservation Biology Institute, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA
| | - Morgan W Tingley
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Lluís Brotons
- InForest JRU (CTFC-CREAF), 25280 Solsona, Lleida, Spain.,CREAF, Edifici C. Autonomous, University of Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.,Spanish Research Council (CSIC), 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
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25
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McNellie MJ, Oliver I, Dorrough J, Ferrier S, Newell G, Gibbons P. Reference state and benchmark concepts for better biodiversity conservation in contemporary ecosystems. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:6702-6714. [PMID: 33090598 PMCID: PMC7756865 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Measuring the status and trends of biodiversity is critical for making informed decisions about the conservation, management or restoration of species, habitats and ecosystems. Defining the reference state against which status and change are measured is essential. Typically, reference states describe historical conditions, yet historical conditions are challenging to quantify, may be difficult to falsify, and may no longer be an attainable target in a contemporary ecosystem. We have constructed a conceptual framework to help inform thinking and discussion around the philosophical underpinnings of reference states and guide their application. We characterize currently recognized historical reference states and describe them as Pre-Human, Indigenous Cultural, Pre-Intensification and Hybrid-Historical. We extend the conceptual framework to include contemporary reference states as an alternative theoretical perspective. The contemporary reference state framework is a major conceptual shift that focuses on current ecological patterns and identifies areas with higher biodiversity values relative to other locations within the same ecosystem, regardless of the disturbance history. We acknowledge that past processes play an essential role in driving contemporary patterns of diversity. The specific context for which we design the contemporary conceptual frame is underpinned by an overarching goal-to maximize biodiversity conservation and restoration outcomes in existing ecosystems. The contemporary reference state framework can account for the inherent differences in the diversity of biodiversity values (e.g. native species richness, habitat complexity) across spatial scales, communities and ecosystems. In contrast to historical reference states, contemporary references states are measurable and falsifiable. This 'road map of reference states' offers perspective needed to define and assess the status and trends in biodiversity and habitats. We demonstrate the contemporary reference state concept with an example from south-eastern Australia. Our framework provides a tractable way for policy-makers and practitioners to navigate biodiversity assessments to maximize conservation and restoration outcomes in contemporary ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan J. McNellie
- Department of Planning, Industry and EnvironmentScience, Economics and Insights DivisionWagga WaggaNSWAustralia
- Fenner School of Environment and SocietyThe Australian National UniversityActonACTAustralia
| | - Ian Oliver
- Department of Planning, Industry and EnvironmentScience, Economics and Insights DivisionGosfordNSWAustralia
| | - Josh Dorrough
- Department of Planning, Industry and EnvironmentScience, Economics and Insights DivisionMerimbulaNSWAustralia
| | | | - Graeme Newell
- Department of Environment, Land, Water and PlanningArthur Rylah Institute for Environmental ResearchHeidelbergVic.Australia
| | - Philip Gibbons
- Fenner School of Environment and SocietyThe Australian National UniversityActonACTAustralia
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26
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Montgomery RA, Macdonald DW, Hayward MW. The inducible defences of large mammals to human lethality. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Robert A. Montgomery
- Research on the Ecology of Carnivores and their Prey (RECaP) Laboratory Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Michigan State University East Lansing MI USA
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit Department of Zoology University of OxfordThe Recanati‐Kaplan CentreTubney House Tubney Oxon UK
| | - David W. Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit Department of Zoology University of OxfordThe Recanati‐Kaplan CentreTubney House Tubney Oxon UK
| | - Matthew W. Hayward
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle Callaghan NSW Australia
- Centre for African Conservation Ecology Nelson Mandela University Port Elizabeth South Africa
- Centre for Wildlife Management University of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa
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27
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A guide to ecosystem models and their environmental applications. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 4:1459-1471. [PMID: 32929239 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-01298-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2019] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Applied ecology has traditionally approached management problems through a simplified, single-species lens. Repeated failures of single-species management have led us to a new paradigm - managing at the ecosystem level. Ecosystem management involves a complex array of interacting organisms, processes and scientific disciplines. Accounting for interactions, feedback loops and dependencies between ecosystem components is therefore fundamental to understanding and managing ecosystems. We provide an overview of the main types of ecosystem models and their uses, and discuss challenges related to modelling complex ecological systems. Existing modelling approaches typically attempt to do one or more of the following: describe and disentangle ecosystem components and interactions; make predictions about future ecosystem states; and inform decision making by comparing alternative strategies and identifying important uncertainties. Modelling ecosystems is challenging, particularly when balancing the desire to represent many components of an ecosystem with the limitations of available data and the modelling objective. Explicitly considering different forms of uncertainty is therefore a primary concern. We provide some recommended strategies (such as ensemble ecosystem models and multi-model approaches) to aid the explicit consideration of uncertainty while also meeting the challenges of modelling ecosystems.
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28
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Thompson K, Hill C, Ojeda J, Ban NC, Picard CR. Indigenous food harvesting as social–ecological monitoring: A case study with the Gitga'at First Nation. PEOPLE AND NATURE 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kim‐Ly Thompson
- School of Environmental Studies University of Victoria Victoria BC Canada
| | | | - Jaime Ojeda
- School of Environmental Studies University of Victoria Victoria BC Canada
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB) Universidad de Magallanes Punta Arenas Chile
| | - Natalie C. Ban
- School of Environmental Studies University of Victoria Victoria BC Canada
| | - Chris R. Picard
- Gitga'at Oceans and Lands Department Gitga'at First Nation Hartley Bay BC Canada
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29
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Lullfitz A, Pettersen C, Reynolds R(D, Eades A, Dean A, Knapp L, Woods E, Woods T, Eades E, Yorkshire-Selby G, Woods S, Dortch J, Guilfoyle D, Hopper SD. The Noongar of south-western Australia: a case study of long-term biodiversity conservation in a matrix of old and young landscapes. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Occurring across all southern hemisphere continents except Antarctica, old, climatically buffered, infertile landscapes (OCBILs) are centres of biological richness, often in biodiversity hotspots. Among a matrix of young, often disturbed, fertile landscapes (YODFELs), OCBILs are centres of endemism and diversity in the exceptionally rich flora of the south-west Australian global biodiversity hotspot, home to Noongar peoples for ≥ 48 000 years. We analysed contemporary traditional Noongar knowledge of adjacent OCBILs (e.g. granite outcrops) and YODFELs (e.g. creekline fringes) both at a single site and in two larger areas to test whether patterns of disturbance dictated by Noongar custom align with OCBIL theory. We found that Noongar traditional knowledge reflects a regime of concentrated YODFEL rather than OCBIL disturbance—a pattern which aligns with maximal biodiversity preservation. SIMPER testing found traditional Noongar OCBIL and YODFEL activities are 64–75% dissimilar, whereas Pearson’s chi-square tests revealed camping, burning, travelling through country and hunting as primarily YODFEL rather than OCBIL activities. We found that Noongar activities usually avoid OCBIL disturbance. This combined with high floristic diversity following enduring First Peoples’ presence, suggests that traditional Noongar knowledge is valuable and necessary for south-west Australian biodiversity conservation. Similar cultural investigations in other OCBIL-dominated global biodiversity hotspots may prove profitable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison Lullfitz
- Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management, School of Agriculture and Environment, University of Western Australia, Albany, WA, Australia
| | - Carol Pettersen
- Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management, School of Agriculture and Environment, University of Western Australia, Albany, WA, Australia
| | - Ron (Doc) Reynolds
- Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation, Esperance, WA, Australia
| | - Aden Eades
- Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management, School of Agriculture and Environment, University of Western Australia, Albany, WA, Australia
| | - Averil Dean
- Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management, School of Agriculture and Environment, University of Western Australia, Albany, WA, Australia
| | - Lynette Knapp
- Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management, School of Agriculture and Environment, University of Western Australia, Albany, WA, Australia
| | - Eliza Woods
- Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management, School of Agriculture and Environment, University of Western Australia, Albany, WA, Australia
| | - Treasy Woods
- Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management, School of Agriculture and Environment, University of Western Australia, Albany, WA, Australia
| | - Eugene Eades
- Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management, School of Agriculture and Environment, University of Western Australia, Albany, WA, Australia
| | - Gail Yorkshire-Selby
- Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation, Esperance, WA, Australia
| | - Steven Woods
- Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management, School of Agriculture and Environment, University of Western Australia, Albany, WA, Australia
| | - Joe Dortch
- Centre for Rock Art Research and Management, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | | | - Stephen D Hopper
- Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management, School of Agriculture and Environment, University of Western Australia, Albany, WA, Australia
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30
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Abstract
Human populations and their use of land have reshaped landscapes for thousands of years, creating the anthropogenic biomes (anthromes) that now cover most of the terrestrial biosphere. Here we introduce the first global reconstruction and mapping of anthromes and their changes across the 12,000-year interval from 10,000 BCE to 2015 CE; the Anthromes 12K dataset. Anthromes were mapped using gridded global estimates of human population density and land use from the History of the Global Environment database (HYDE version 3.2) by a classification procedure similar to that used for prior anthrome maps. Anthromes 12K maps generally agreed with prior anthrome maps for the same time periods, though significant differences were observed, including a substantial reduction in Rangelands anthromes in 2000 CE but with increases before that time. Differences between maps resulted largely from improvements in HYDE’s representation of land use, including pastures and rangelands, compared with the HYDE 3.1 input data used in prior anthromes maps. The larger extent of early land use in Anthromes 12K also agrees more closely with empirical assessments than prior anthrome maps; the result of an evidence-based paradigm shift in characterizing the history of Earth’s transformation through land use, from a mostly recent large-scale conversion of uninhabited wildlands, to a long-term trend of increasingly intensive transformation and use of already inhabited and used landscapes. The spatial history of anthropogenic changes depicted in Anthromes 12K remain to be validated, especially for earlier time periods. Nevertheless, Anthromes 12K is a major advance over all prior anthrome datasets and provides a new platform for assessing the long-term environmental consequences of human transformation of the terrestrial biosphere.
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31
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Abstract
Biodiversity has always responded dynamically to environmental perturbations in the geological past, through changes to the abundances and distributions of genes and species, to the composition of biological communities, and to the cover and locations of different ecosystem types. This is how the 'nature' that exists today has survived. The same is true in the Anthropocene. The entire planet surface has been altered by humans, ranging from direct vegetation transformation and removal of most of the world's megafauna, through to atmospheric changes in greenhouse gasses and consequent climatic changes and ocean acidification. These anthropogenic perturbations have led to the establishment of genes and species in new locations, thus generating novel communities and ecosystems. In this historical context, recent biological changes should be seen as responses to multiple drivers of change, rather than being a problem per se. These changes are the means by which the biosphere is adjusting to and will ultimately survive the Anthropocene. Thus, management and conservation of the biological world, and our place in it, requires a transition from trying to minimize biological change to one in which we facilitate dynamism that accelerates the rates at which species and ecosystems adjust to human-associated drivers of change. This article is part of the theme issue 'Climate change and ecosystems: threats, opportunities and solutions'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris D Thomas
- Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity, Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, UK
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32
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Schang KA, Trant AJ, Bohnert SA, Closs AM, Humchitt M, McIntosh KP, Way RG, Wickham SB. Ecological research should consider Indigenous peoples and stewardship. Facets (Ott) 2020. [DOI: 10.1139/facets-2019-0041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The relationship between Indigenous peoples and the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems has received increased attention in recent years. As a result, it is becoming more critical for researchers focusing on terrestrial ecosystems to work with Indigenous groups to gain a better understanding of how past and current stewardship of these lands may influence results. As a case study to explore these ideas, we systematically reviewed articles from 2008 to 2018 where research was conducted in North America, South America, and Oceania. Of the 159 articles included, 11 included acknowledgement of Indigenous stewardship, acknowledged the Indigenous Territories or lands, or named the Indigenous group on whose Territory the research was conducted. Within the scope of this case study, our results demonstrate an overall lack of Indigenous acknowledgement or consideration within the scope of our review. Given the recent advancements in our understanding of how Indigenous groups have shaped their lands, we implore researchers to consider collaboration among local Indigenous groups as to better cultivate relationships and foster a greater understanding of their ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle A. Schang
- School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
- Hakai Institute, Heriot Bay, BC V0P 1H0, Canada
| | - Andrew J. Trant
- School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
- Hakai Institute, Heriot Bay, BC V0P 1H0, Canada
| | - Sara A. Bohnert
- School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Alana M. Closs
- School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
- Hakai Institute, Heriot Bay, BC V0P 1H0, Canada
| | - Megan Humchitt
- Heiltsuk Tribal Council, Bella Bella, BC V0T 1Z0, Canada
| | - Kelsea P. McIntosh
- School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Robert G. Way
- Department of Geography and Planning, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Sara B. Wickham
- School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
- Hakai Institute, Heriot Bay, BC V0P 1H0, Canada
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33
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Van Meerbeek K, Muys B, Schowanek SD, Svenning JC. Reconciling Conflicting Paradigms of Biodiversity Conservation: Human Intervention and Rewilding. Bioscience 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biz106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
There are strong opposing views among conservationists about whether we have to intervene to safeguard our natural heritage or not. In the Western European tradition, human intervention has been dominating, whereas, elsewhere, rewilding aimed at restoring self-regulating ecosystems has often been preferred. However, cultural rather than ecological differences are at the root of these opposing paradigms, leading to management strategies that are not always optimal for biodiversity conservation. In the present article, we propose a framework based on the relationship between ecosystem dynamics and the human footprint, including land-use legacies, to guide the mixture of rewilding and intervention practices in order to ensure a biodiverse future. We argue that these paradigms are not conflicting but complementary and advocate for rewilding where possible, human intervention where needed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bart Muys
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Simon D Schowanek
- Department of Bioscience and the Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), at Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Department of Bioscience and the Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), at Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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34
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Root‐Bernstein M, Ladle R. Ecology of a widespread large omnivore, Homo sapiens, and its impacts on ecosystem processes. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:10874-10894. [PMID: 31641442 PMCID: PMC6802023 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Discussions of defaunation and taxon substitution have concentrated on megafaunal herbivores and carnivores, but mainly overlooked the particular ecological importance of megafaunal omnivores. In particular, the Homo spp. have been almost completely ignored in this context, despite the extinction of all but one hominin species present since the Plio-Pleistocene. Large omnivores have a particular set of ecological functions reflecting their foraging flexibility and the varied disturbances they create, functions that may maintain ecosystem stability and resilience. Here, we put the ecology of Homo sapiens in the context of comparative interspecific ecological roles and impacts, focusing on the large omnivore guild, as well as comparative intraspecific variation, focusing on hunter-gatherers.We provide an overview of the functional traits of H. sapiens, which can be used to spontaneously provide the functions for currently ecologically extinct or endangered ecosystem processes. We consider the negative impacts of variations in H. sapiens phenotypic strategies, its possible status as an invasive species, and the potential to take advantage of its learning capacities to decouple negative and positive impacts.We provide examples of how practices related to foraging, transhumance, and hunting could contribute to rewilding-inspired programs either drawing on hunter-gatherer baselines of H. sapiens, or as proxies for extinct or threatened large omnivores. We propose that a greater focus on intraspecific ecological variation and interspecific comparative ecology of H. sapiens can provide new avenues for conservation and ecological research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meredith Root‐Bernstein
- Section for Ecoinformatics & Biodiversity, Department of BioscienceAarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Institute of Ecology and BiodiversitySantiagoChile
- UMR Sciences pour l'Action et le Développement, Activités, Produits, TerritoiresINRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris‐SaclayThiverval‐GrignonFrance
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES)SantiagoChile
| | - Richard Ladle
- School of Science and HealthFederal University of AlagoasAlagoasBrazil
- School of Geography and the EnvironmentOxford UniversityOxfordUK
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35
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Abstract
Current theoretical models of the commons assert that common-pool resources can only be managed sustainably with clearly defined boundaries around both communities and the resources that they use. In these theoretical models, open access inevitably leads to a tragedy of the commons. However, in many open-access systems, use of common-pool resources seems to be sustainable over the long term (i.e., current resource use does not threaten use of common-pool resources for future generations). Here, we outline the conditions that support sustainable resource use in open property regimes. We use the conceptual framework of complex adaptive systems to explain how processes within and couplings between human and natural systems can lead to the emergence of efficient, equitable, and sustainable resource use. We illustrate these dynamics in eight case studies of different social–ecological systems, including mobile pastoralism, marine and freshwater fisheries, swidden agriculture, and desert foraging. Our theoretical framework identifies eight conditions that are critical for the emergence of sustainable use of common-pool resources in open property regimes. In addition, we explain how changes in boundary conditions may push open property regimes to either common property regimes or a tragedy of the commons. Our theoretical model of emergent sustainability helps us to understand the diversity and dynamics of property regimes across a wide range of social–ecological systems and explains the enigma of open access without a tragedy. We recommend that policy interventions in such self-organizing systems should focus on managing the conditions that are critical for the emergence and persistence of sustainability.
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36
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Bullock JM, Bonte D, Pufal G, da Silva Carvalho C, Chapman DS, García C, García D, Matthysen E, Delgado MM. Human-Mediated Dispersal and the Rewiring of Spatial Networks. Trends Ecol Evol 2018; 33:958-970. [PMID: 30314915 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2018.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2018] [Revised: 09/03/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Humans fundamentally affect dispersal, directly by transporting individuals and indirectly by altering landscapes and natural vectors. This human-mediated dispersal (HMD) modifies long-distance dispersal, changes dispersal paths, and overall benefits certain species or genotypes while disadvantaging others. HMD is leading to radical changes in the structure and functioning of spatial networks, which are likely to intensify as human activities increase in scope and extent. Here, we provide an overview to guide research into HMD and the resulting rewiring of spatial networks, making predictions about the ecological and evolutionary consequences and how these vary according to spatial scale and the traits of species. Future research should consider HMD holistically, assessing the range of direct and indirect processes to understand the complex impacts on eco-evolutionary dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dries Bonte
- Department of Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Gesine Pufal
- Department of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Cristina García
- Centre for Research on Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Institute of Integrative Biology, Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Daniel García
- Department of Biology of Organisms and Systems and Biodiversity Research Unit, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Erik Matthysen
- Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Maria Mar Delgado
- Department of Biology of Organisms and Systems and Biodiversity Research Unit, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain
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