What is it about?
Natural historical books are treasure troves of historical data of species occurrences. This article reflects on the role that these historical sources can play in understanding past occurrences and distribution of species. It sets out some of the opportunities, challenges and considerations in using these sources in this way.
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Why is it important?
Scientific ecological data often spans only the past few decades. However, long-term views of species occurrence of the past provide ecologists with a broader perspective on ecological patterns and processes. This helps them to identify opportunities to protect species and their aquatic environments now and in the future.
Perspectives
This article calls for people coming from positions of practice and theory, from the humanities and the sciences, to work together to prevent further loss of species.
Didi van Trijp
Universiteit Utrecht
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Epilogue: Using Historical Sources to Understand Ecologies of the Past, November 2025, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004549500_008.
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