Micro Methods for Megafauna: Novel Approaches to Late Quaternary Extinctions and Their Contributions to Faunal Conservation in the Anthropocene

Drivers of Late Quaternary megafaunal extinctions are relevant to modern conservation policy in a world of growing human population density, climate change, and faunal decline. Traditional debates tend toward global solutions, blaming either dramatic climate change or dispersals of Homo sapiens to new regions. Inherent limitations to archaeological and paleontological data sets often require reliance on scant, poorly resolved lines of evidence. However, recent developments in scientific technologies allow for more local, context-specific approaches. In the present article, we highlight how developments in five such methodologies (radiocarbon approaches, stable isotope analysis, ancient DNA, ancient proteomics, microscopy) have helped drive detailed analysis of specific megafaunal species, their particular ecological settings, and responses to new competitors or predators, climate change, and other external phenomena. The detailed case studies of faunal community composition, extinction chronologies, and demographic trends enabled by these methods examine megafaunal extinctions at scales appropriate for practical understanding of threats against particular species in their habitats today. </section

Editor's Note

We are pleased to present Volume 15 of Hawaiian Archaeology following a brief hiatus in the series. As with 2020’s conference theme, “Hoʻokāhi ka ʻilau like ʻana, wield the paddles together: Connecting communities to ensure a future for Hawaiʻi’s past,” we envision the journal as a forum for connection and communication across our diverse stakeholding communities in Hawaiian and Pacific archaeology. This year’s volume features work from Indigenous, CRM, and academic spheres, from established professionals as well as the next generation of experts. These contributions highlight the unique strengths and priorities of each realm, and reveal a collective desire for increased collaboration and decompartmentalizing