Dear Colleagues,

Within a framework of historical ecology, paleoecology, archaeology, history, biology, and other disciplines these papers contribute to a deeper inter-disciplinary understanding of human impacts, adaptations, and sustainability on numerous islands and archipelagos. The effects of European colonialism and subsequent globalization devastated island ecosystems around the world, leading to widespread extinctions and extirpations, the introduction of exotic species, habitat destruction, and massive ecological reorganizations. The magnitude of such changes has sometimes altered island ecosystems to such a degree that the ecology and productivity of islands prior to historical degradation can be difficult to envision. Conservation biologists who use recent baselines to help guide restoration efforts in island environments are often limited to written records that do not reflect the deeper history of such ecosystems.

Archaeology and paleoecology can reconstruct the nature of island ecosystems at various points in time prior to the age of European colonialism and globalization, but they also show that these ecosystems are rarely static. A growing body of evidence suggests that indigenous peoples measurably impacted many islands long before the colonial era. Even as the evidence for such ancient impacts grows, it is clear that indigenous cultures managed to live relatively sustainably on many islands for centuries or millennia. In this volume we present case studies from islands around the world, each exploring how indigenous peoples survived and even thrived on islands over the long duree. Our case studies often counter models of “impact” and “collapse” that have become common in the scientific literature and popular media. They also explore and highlight the resilience of many island cultures and ecosystems, even in the face of the accelerating global changes associated with the Anthropocene.

Dr. Michelle J. LeFebvre
Prof. Dr. Jon M. Erlandson
Prof. Dr. Scott M. Fitzpatrick
Guest Editors

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• Islands and Archipelagos
• Archaeology as Deep History
• Historical Ecology
• Human Impacts and Sustainability
• Indigenous Cultures
• Island Futures