Where archaeology and wildlife management meet: the relevance of studying the Holocene history of human-wildlife interactions in the central Balkans for regional conservation efforts

Abstract

As some of the greatest threats humanity is currently facing, such as climate change and biodiversity loss, have their roots in our distant past, archaeology is becoming more and more involved in the research of their causes and effects. Archaeologists are becoming more aware of the significance of studying long-term human-environmental relationships via analysis of animal and plant remains from archaeological sites for modern environmental problems, and paleoenvironmental data are sometimes included in conservation decisions. In this paper, within the framework of the scientific project ARCHAEOWILD, which studies human-wildlife interactions in the Holocene past of the CentralBalkans, we stress the significance of research that provides data on the spatiotemporal distribution of wildlife, extinction dynamics, translocations, as well as genetic diversity and dietary patterns of large mammals in the past for future wildlife management decisions in the region