Megafauna amidst rising ecological novelty: Rethinking management in the Anthropocene

As ecological novelty accelerates worldwide, conservation debates continue to be dominated by historical baselines largely derived from sparsely populated regions of the Earth. Yet the ecological future of the planet is already visible across the Global South, where megafauna persist within some of the most densely populated, modified, and socially complex landscapes on Earth. Drawing on long-term empirical evidence from India, this talk synthesizes findings on megaherbivores and large carnivores living amidst invasive species, altered vegetation states, intensive human use, and prevalent poverty and asks what these systems reveal about managing biodiversity under irreversible change.

Across multiple ecosystems, large herbivores demonstrably reduce invasive plant dominance, maintain native plant richness, and restructure vegetation in ways that mechanical or chemical interventions rarely achieve at scale. These functional effects persist within highly novel plant communities, indicating that ecosystem function can be restored even when historical composition cannot. Parallel evidence from carnivore recovery shows that large predators can rebound and stabilize populations despite high human density, provided governance, tolerance, and livelihood contexts are addressed - challenging assumptions that novelty inevitably erodes trophic integrity.

Crucially, these outcomes are not accidental. Management decisions in novel ecosystems often emerge from collaboration with local communities who prioritize present-day utility, risk reduction, and cultural values over strict historical fidelity. In practice, novel ecosystem thinking already guides decisions on grazing, invasive species control, and habitat use, enabling coexistence with flagship megafauna while sustaining ecosystem services.

Theoretically, these findings call for shifting conservation benchmarks from historical states to empirically demonstrable functions. Applied lessons suggest that megafaunal recovery can be actively leveraged to manage invasions, regulate ecosystems, and deliver nature-based solutions in human-dominated landscapes. The broader implication is hopeful: systems long labeled “degraded” are not ecological dead ends but predictive models of the Anthropocene. Learning from megafauna already thriving within novelty may be essential for sustaining biodiversity in a rapidly transforming world.