Reconciling conflicting perspectives for biodiversity conservation in the Anthropocene

E-ISSN： 1540-9309|12|2|131-137

ISSN： 1540-9295

Source： Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, Vol.12, Iss.2, 2014-03, pp. : 131-137

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Abstract

We introduce a framework – based on experiences from oceanic islands – for conserving biodiversity in the Anthropocene. In an increasingly human‐dominated world, the context for conservation‐oriented action is extremely variable, attributable to three largely independent factors: the degree of anthropogenic change, the importance of deliberate versus inadvertent human influence on ecosystems, and land‐use priorities. Given this variability, we discuss the need to integrate four strategies, often considered incompatible, for safeguarding biodiversity: maintaining relicts of historical biodiversity through intensive and continuous management; creating artificial in situ, inter situ, and ex situ conservation settings that are resilient to anthropogenic change; co‐opting novel ecosystems and associated “opportunistic biodiversity” as the wildlands of the future; and promoting biodiversity in cultural landscapes by adapting economic activities.