[PCA] Article: anthropogenic shaping of global species distributions

[Lindsey Riibe]

An interesting review on the deep-history of anthropogenic pressures on
natural ecosystems.

"Ecological consequences of human niche construction: Examining long-term
anthropogenic shaping of global species distributions" by Nicole L. Boivin
et al.
Full article - http://www.pnas.org/content/113/23/6388.full

Archaeologists have an obligation to share their increasing knowledge of
the major anthropogenic role in shaping global species distributions, as
well as other ecosystem properties. Present-day changes to the diversity,
composition, and distribution of species are part of long-term processes
that need to be factored into programs of research, planning, conservation,
and management. The urgent challenges of mediating and managing present-day
anthropogenic forces demand a fully informed approach that recognizes that
today’s societies possess exceptional but not unique capacities for
reshaping global ecosystems. Highlighting a long-term human role in shaping
biodiversity does not absolve present-day populations of taking
responsibility for Earth’s environments. Instead, it reaffirms the human
capacity for ecological transformation that is denied by those interest
groups that challenge scientific evidence for anthropogenic global warming,
and suggests that we should own up to our role in transforming ecosystems
and embrace responsible policies befitting a species that has engaged in
millennia of ecological modification.
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