Natural or Anthropogenic?
Natural or Anthropogenic?
Novel Community Reassembly after Historical Overharvest of Pacific Coast Pinnipeds
In this chapter, Jon M. Erlandson, Todd J. Braje, Robert L. DeLong, and Torben C. Rick examine the process of novel community reassembly following historical overharvest, through an examination of the historical ecology of pinnipeds along North America's Pacific Coast. We compare changes in the biogeography of ancient versus modern pinniped populations, and we discuss the implications for the use of archaeological records in conservation biology and environmental management. Driven to the brink of extinction by commercial hunting in historic times, several Pacific Coast pinniped species have recovered dramatically under federal and state protection. Pacific Coast archaeological records show that humans hunted pinnipeds for at least the past twelve thousand years, for instance, and that the ancient distribution and abundance of northern elephant seals and Guadalupe fur seals differed significantly from today. Knowledge of such long-term anthropogenic changes, along with a dearth of data about the “natural” state of Pacific Coast pinniped populations, raises interesting questions about the nature and sustainability of conservation efforts.
Keywords: archaeology, pinnipeds, environmental management, historical ecology, recovery
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