The Nature Conservancy, 201 Mission St., 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA.
Migratory Bird Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, MRC 5503, Washington, DC 20013, USA.
Trends Ecol Evol. 2017 Aug;32(8):578-588. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2017.05.006. Epub 2017 Jun 20.
Historical ecology provides information needed to understand contemporary conditions and make science-based resource management decisions. Gaps in historical records, however, can limit inquiries and inference. Unfortunately, the patchiness of data that poses challenges for today's historical ecologist may be similarly problematic for those in the future seeking to understand what are currently present-day conditions and trends, in part because of societal underinvestment in systematic collection and curation. We therefore highlight the generational imperative that contemporary scientists and managers individually have - especially in this era of tremendous global change - to ensure sufficient documentation of the past and current conditions of the places and resources to which they have access.
历史生态学提供了理解当代条件和做出基于科学的资源管理决策所需的信息。然而，历史记录的不完整可能会限制研究和推断。不幸的是，目前历史生态学家所面临的数据不完整问题，对于未来试图了解当前现状和趋势的人来说，可能同样具有挑战性，部分原因是社会对系统收集和保存数据的投资不足。因此，我们强调当代科学家和管理者的代际责任——尤其是在这个全球变化巨大的时代——确保对他们所掌握的地方和资源的过去和现状进行充分的记录。
