Merging paleobiology with conservation biology to guide the future of terrestrial ecosystems.
Conservation of species and ecosystems is increasingly difficult because anthropogenic impacts are pervasive and accelerating. Under this rapid global change, maximizing conservation success requires a paradigm shift from maintaining ecosystems in idealized past states toward facilitating their adaptive and functional capacities, even as species ebb and flow individually. Developing effective strategies under this new paradigm will require deeper understanding of the long-term dynamics that govern ecosystem persistence and reconciliation of conflicts among approaches to conserving historical versus novel ecosystems. Integrating emerging information from conservation biology, paleobiology, and the Earth sciences is an important step forward on the path to success. Maintaining nature in all its aspects will also entail immediately addressing the overarching threats of growing human population, overconsumption, pollution, and climate change.
Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. tonybarnosky@stanford.edu.|Department of Integrative Biology and Museums of Paleontology and Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Anthony D
0000-0003-0265-7113
AD
Barnosky
Department of Biology, Department of Geological Sciences, Woods Institute for the Environment, Center for Innovations in Global Health, Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94303, USA.
Elizabeth A
EA
Hadly
Natural Resource Stewardship and Science, U.S. National Park Service, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.|Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Patrick
0000-0002-7105-0561
P
Gonzalez
Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK.
Jason
0000-0002-2237-6901
J
Head
Department of Geological Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
P David
0000-0001-7338-8526
PD
Polly
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77845, USA.
A Michelle
0000-0003-4041-6177
AM
Lawing
Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany.|Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Post Office Box 64, FIN-00014, Finland and BIOS Research Unit, Kalliolanrinne 4, Helsinki, Finland.
Jussi T
JT
Eronen
Department of Integrative Biology, University and Jepson Herbaria, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
David D
0000-0002-1847-7398
DD
Ackerly
California Governor's Office of Planning and Research, Post Office Box 3044, Sacramento, CA 95812-3044, USA.
Ken
K
Alex
School of Law, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Eric
E
Biber
School of Natural Sciences, University of California, Merced, CA 95343, USA.
Jessica
0000-0003-4048-177X
J
Blois
Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Justin
0000-0002-3973-5632
J
Brashares
Instituto de Ecologia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, C.U., Ap. Post. 70-275 Mexico, D.F. 04510, Mexico.
Gerardo
G
Ceballos
Department of Geological Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.
Edward
0000-0002-0918-5852
E
Davis
Paleontological Research Institution, 1259 Trumansburg Road, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA.|Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
Gregory P
0000-0003-1571-0868
GP
Dietl
Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94303, USA.
Rodolfo
0000-0002-5751-9888
R
Dirzo
School of Law, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Holly
0000-0003-4243-9946
H
Doremus
Department of Geosciences and Geography, Post Office Box 64, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland.|Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, Post Office Box 1066 Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo, Norway.
Mikael
0000-0002-4851-783X
M
Fortelius
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
Harry W
HW
Greene
Institute of the Environment, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
Jessica
0000-0002-4961-0841
J
Hellmann
Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F) and Institute of Physical Geography, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Senckenberganlage 25, D-60325 Frankfurt am Main Germany.
Thomas
0000-0002-4668-7552
T
Hickler
U.S. Geological Survey, Department of Interior Southwest Climate Science Center and Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, 1064 E. Lowell Street, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
Stephen T
0000-0002-1487-4652
ST
Jackson
Center for the Environment, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Melissa
0000-0003-0668-3458
M
Kemp
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
Paul L
0000-0001-5248-1529
PL
Koch
Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 9472, USA.
Claire
C
Kremen
Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Emily L
EL
Lindsey
Department of Integrative Biology, Museum of Paleontology, University and Jepson Herbaria, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Cindy
0000-0002-3292-4916
C
Looy
Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Charles R
CR
Marshall
Center for Conservation Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.|The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA 22203, USA.
Chase
C
Mendenhall
Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F) 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.|Institute of Geosciences, Goethe-University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Andreas
A
Mulch
Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94303, USA.
Alexis M
AM
Mychajliw
Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Clamecystrasse 12, D-63571 Gelnhausen, Germany.
Carsten
0000-0002-3139-1951
C
Nowak
National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research GKVK, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560065, India.
Uma
U
Ramakrishnan
Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Johannisallee 21-23, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.|Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Jan
0000-0002-0843-4503
J
Schnitzler
City Museum, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal.
Kashish
0000-0002-1055-1119
K
Das Shrestha
Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94303, USA.
Katherine
K
Solari
Continuing Studies Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
Lynn
L
Stegner
Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
M Allison
0000-0002-1412-8203
MA
Stegner
Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Post Office Box 1066, Blindern NO-0316, Oslo, Norway.
Nils Chr
NC
Stenseth
Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Marvalee H
0000-0002-9467-6743
MH
Wake
State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1 Beichen West Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, P.R. China.
Zhibin
Z
Zhang
D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D057231:Climate Change; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D056727:Endangered Species; D004787:Environmental Pollution; D053476:Extinction, Biological; D006071:Gorilla gorilla; D006801:Humans; D058865:Introduced Species; D057766:Policy; D011157:Population Dynamics