The conservation paradox -- The elephant dilemma : a long-term perspective on the management of African savannas -- Where the wild things were : re-wilding and the sixth extinction -- A burning question : can long-term data inform fire management in the twenty-first century? -- Past, present and future climate change : can palaeoecology help manage a warming world? -- Ecosystem services : lessons from the past for a sustainable future -- Nature, culture, and conservation in the Anthropocene -- Conclusions: Conservation in the Anthropocene
Summary:
"Ecosystems today are dynamic and complex, leaving conservationists faced with the paradox of conserving moving targets. New approaches to conservation are now required that aim to conserve ecological function and process, rather than attempt to protect static snapshots of biodiversity. To do this effectively, long-term information on ecosystem variability and resilience is needed. While there is a wealth of such information in palaeoecology, archaeology, and historical ecology, it remains an underused resource by conservation ecologists. In bringing together the disciplines of neo- and palaeoecology and integrating them with conservation biology, this novel text illustrates how an understanding of long-term change in ecosystems can in turn inform and influence their conservation and management in the Anthropocene. By looking at the history of traditional management, climate change, disturbance, and land-use, the book describes how a long-term perspective on landscape change can inform current and pressing conservation questions such as whether elephants should be culled, how best to manage fire, and whether ecosystems can or should be "re-wilded"."--Provided by publisher.
