CONSERVATION PALEOBIOLOGY: USING THE DEAD TO SAVE THE LIVING
Patricia H. Kelley, University of North Carolina Wilmington

Human population growth, accompanied by habitat destruction, environmental degradation, and overharvesting of species, has led to biodiversity loss on a scale comparable to mass extinctions of the geologic past. A new field, Conservation Paleobiology, offers hope for addressing the modern biodiversity crisis. As shown by several examples, fossilized remains of past life reveal the structure and function of previous ecosystems and establish targets for ecosystem restoration; we can use fossils to assess whether the current state of an ecosystem is within the range of natural variation of that system and to understand the response of species and ecosystems to past environmental change. With appropriate training, the next generation of conservation paleobiologists will be able to detect anthropogenic change, predict results of ongoing environmental change, and collaborate with practitioners and stakeholders on ecosystem restoration and management plans. The dead can help to save the living!