APPLIED ZOOARCHAEOLOGY - THE RELEVANCE OF FAUNAL ANALYSIS TO WILDLIFEMANAGEMENT

Zooarchaeology has the opportunity to expand its analytical horizons i nto the little explored realm of modern wildlife management by applyin g the knowledge it gains from its unique perspective of prehistory. Wa ys in which animal populations threatened with extinction might be pro tected in perpetuity, identifying which forms or taxa should be reintr oduced to which areas to recreate natural biotas, identifying which fo rms or taxa are exotic and should be removed from an area to create a natural biota, and helping to define the boundaries of biological pres erves meant to preserve biota in perpetuity are all subjects to which knowledge gained through zooarchaeological research might be applied. The potential benefits include better informed wildlife management dec isions, fewer extinctions, less loss of biological diversity and incre ased job opportunities for zooarchaeologists.