Historical ecological research provides valuable insights for contemporary conservation management. Gaps in historical records, however, can limit the utility of that research. Future conservationists may therefore find themselves disadvantaged by the current societal trend of underinvestment in systematic collection of museum specimens and natural history information. To reduce that risk, we asked what managers and scientists could do today to better document the past and present conditions of Santa Cruz Island, California, as a means to improve both contemporary and future conservation. We focused our inquiry on the island's terrestrial fauna, which includes numerous taxa of conservation concern. Here we present recommendations for research and collection that will enhance not only the understanding of past and present ecological conditions on the island but also the records that will he accessible to future historical ecologists.
1.Nature Conservancy, Ventura, CA 93001 USA 2.Natl Zool Pk, Smithsonian Conservat Biol Inst, Migratory Bird Ctr, Washington, DC 20013 USA 3.Santa Barbara Museum Nat Hist, Santa Barbara, CA 93105 USA 4.Natl Pk Serv, Ventura, CA 93001 USA 5.Colorado State Univ, Grad Degree Program Ecol, Dept Biol, Ft Collins, CO 80523 USA 6.UCSB, Univ Calif Nat Reserve Syst, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 USA 7.Nat Hist Museum Los Angeles Cty, Los Angeles, CA 90007 USA 8.Calif State Univ Northridge, Dept Biol, Northridge, CA 91220 USA 9.Calif State Univ Channel Isl, Camarillo, CA 93012 USA 10.Inst Wildlife Studies, Arcadia, CA 90704 USA
Recommended Citation:
Boser, Christina L.,Sillett, T. Scott,Collins, Paul W.,et al. Equipping tomorrow's historical ecologist: priorities for documenting conditions of the terrestrial fauna of Santa Cruz Island, California[J]. WESTERN NORTH AMERICAN NATURALIST,2019-01-01,78(4):879-887