Shifting Baselines to Thresholds: Reframing Exploitation in the Marine Environment

Current research on anthropogenic impacts on marine ecosystems often relies on the concept of a baseline, which aims to describe ecosystems prior to human contact. Recent research is increasingly showing that humans have been involved in marine ecosystems for much longer than previously understood. We propose a theoretical framework oriented around a system of thresholds referring to system-wide changes in human culture, ecosystem dynamics, and molecular evolution. The concept of the threshold allows conceptual space to account for the fluid nature of ecosystems throughout time while providing a critical framework for understanding drivers of ecosystem change. We highlight practical research approaches for exploring thresholds in the past and provide key insights for future adaptation to a changing world. To ensure ecological and societal goals for the future are met, it is critical that research efforts are contextualized into a framework that incorporates human society as integral to ecology and evolution.

Automated summary

Recent research suggests that human impacts on marine ecosystems have a longer history than previously thought, and it is important to adopt a threshold framework to understand these interactions, considering system-wide changes in human culture, ecosystem dynamics, and molecular evolution. Research approaches should focus on exploring past thresholds and providing key insights for future adaptation. It is crucial to contextualize research efforts within a framework that recognizes human society as integral to ecology and evolution in order to achieve ecological and societal goals for the future.