Historical ecology provides information needed to understand contemporary conditions and make science-based resource management decisions. Gaps in historical records, however, can limit inquiries and inference. Unfortunately, the patchiness of data that poses challenges for today’s historical ecologist may be similarly problematic for those in the future seeking to understand what are currently present-day conditions and trends, in part because of societal underinvestment in systematic collection and curation. We therefore highlight the generational imperative that contemporary scientists and managers individually have – especially in this era of tremendous global change – to ensure sufficient documentation of the past and current conditions of the places and resources to which they have access.

历史生态学提供了了解当代状况并做出基于科学的资源管理决策所需的信息。但是，历史记录中的空白可能会限制查询和推断。不幸的是，对今天的历史生态学家构成挑战的数据的零散性对于将来试图了解当前状况和趋势的人们来说也同样成问题，部分原因是社会对系统性收集和管理的投资不足。因此，我们强调当代科学家和管理人员个人（尤其是在这个全球变化巨大的时代）个人具有代代相传的必要性，以确保充分记录他们可以使用的地方和资源的过去和当前状况。