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Questions of importance to the conservation of biological diversity: answers from the past
K. J. Willis1,3,4 and S. A. Bhagwat1,2,3
1Long-term Ecology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
2School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK
3Institute of Biodiversity, Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
4Department of Biology, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7803, 5020 Bergen, Norway
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Abstract. Paleoecological records are replete with examples of biotic responses to
past climate change and human impact, but how can we use these records in
the conservation of current and future biodiversity? A recently published list
of (One Hundred Questions of Importance to the Conservation of Global
Biological Diversity) (Sutherland et al., 2009) highlights a number of key research questions
that need a temporal perspective. Many of these questions are related to the
determination of ecological processes in order to assess ecosystem function
and services, climate change-integrated conservation strategies, and
ecosystem management and restoration. However, it is noticeable that not a
single contributor to this list was from the paleo-research community and
that extremely few paleo-records are ever used in the development of
terrestrial conservation management plans. This lack of dialogue between
conservationists and the paleo-community is partially driven by a perception
that the data provided by paleoecological records are purely descriptive and
not of relevance to the day-to-day management and conservation of biological
diversity. This paper illustrates, through a series of case-studies, how
long-term ecological records (>50 years) can provide a
test of predictions
and assumptions of ecological processes that are directly relevant to
management strategies necessary to retain biological diversity in a
changing climate. This discussion paper includes information on diversity
baselines,
thresholds, resilience, and restoration of ecological processes.
Final Revised Paper (PDF, 397 KB) Discussion Paper (CPD) Special Issue
Citation: Willis, K. J. and Bhagwat, S. A.: Questions of importance to the conservation of biological diversity: answers from the past, Clim. Past, 6, 759-769, doi:10.5194/cp-6-759-2010, 2010. Bibtex EndNote Reference Manager XML
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