Bones, shells and baselines - how the past can inform modern marine management, protection and restoration

In this article, we explore how archaeological and historical perspectives can inform current marine management, protection and restoration efforts, and entice us to rethink our present-day relationships with ocean resources to secure sustainable management. Historical records, archaeological findings, palaeoecological data, local and traditional ecological knowledge are coming together in highly interdisciplinary ways, combining cutting-edge analytical and traditional methods. This research is producing more detailed and nuanced descriptions of past ecosystems that reveal the nature, scale and timing of human influences on the sea in unprecedented detail. The findings help us reset ‘shifted baselines’—a phenomenon where long-altered ecosystems are perceived as natural. By bringing clarity to historical human impacts, we can challenge current management paradigms, raise ambitions for recovery of biodiversity loss, improve approaches to habitat restoration and identify promising targets for rewilding. A deeper appreciation of what vibrant seas really look like helps us value and better communicate the benefits recovery can bring for society. Understanding ocean responses to past climates helps us predict and respond to emerging climate pressures today, helping managers develop better approaches to enhance resilience in the face of ongoing and future environmental changes. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Shifting seas: understanding deep-time human impacts on marine ecosystems’.<p></p>