The past as a lens for biodiversity conservation on a dynamically changing planet

MACGUIRE, J; LAWING, M; DIAZ, S; STENSETH, JC

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

NATL ACAD SCIENCES

Lugar: Washington DC, USA; Año: 2023 vol. 120 p. 1 - 7

0027-8424

We are in the midst of a major biodiversity crisis, with deepimpacts on the functioning of ecosystems and derived benefitsto people (1, 2). But we still have time to pull back. To do so,it is imperative that we learn from plants’ and animals’ pastactions (3, 4). Conservation biology, ecology, and paleontologyall emphasize that natural systems must exhibit resilience anddynamic responses to rapid environmental changes (3, 5, 6).Both climate and land-use change have accelerated over thepast decades, underscoring the urgency for increased understandingand action (7–9). The cumulative effects of thesedisruptions are not additive or systematic; rather, they posecomplex, dynamic environmental challenges to ecological systems(see “dynamic systems” Table 1). With the dramatic ecologicaleffects from climate fluctuations and increasinginstability of the fabric of life (10–12), we anticipate that biotawill dramatically shift their ranges, reconfiguring ecologicalcommunities across Earth’s natural landscapes (13) (Fig. 1).Today’s most prevalent conservation approaches focus on themaintenance of static reserves. These approaches need to besupplemented by approaches that facilitate dynamic ecologicalshifts using flexible strategies that involve local stakeholders(14–17). In addition, given the magnitude, rates, andcomplex interactions of anthropogenic and climatic changeoccurring today, these conservation approaches must beinformed by research that spans time scales to infer likelyresponses (18). This special feature integrates research fromacross spatial and temporal scales to explore how ecosystemsand communities function dynamically to respond to largescaleenvironmental change, highlighting proposed solutionsfor conserving biodiversity on a rapidly changing planet