Reliable quantitative vegetation reconstructions for Europe during the Holocene are crucialto improving our understanding of landscape dynamics, making it possible to assess the past effectsof... Show moreReliable quantitative vegetation reconstructions for Europe during the Holocene are crucialto improving our understanding of landscape dynamics, making it possible to assess the past effectsof environmental variables and land-use change on ecosystems and biodiversity, and mitigatingtheir effects in the future. We present here the most spatially extensive and temporally continuouspollen-based reconstructions of plant cover in Europe (at a spatial resolution of 1 1) over theHolocene (last 11.7 ka BP) using the ‘Regional Estimates of VEgetation Abundance from Large Sites’(REVEALS) model. This study has three main aims. First, to present the most accurate and reliablegeneration of REVEALS reconstructions across Europe so far. This has been achieved by including alarger number of pollen records compared to former analyses, in particular from the Mediterraneanarea. Second, to discuss methodological issues in the quantification of past land cover by usingalternative datasets of relative pollen productivities (RPPs), one of the key input parameters ofREVEALS, to test model sensitivity. Finally, to validate our reconstructions with the global forestchange dataset. The results suggest that the RPPs.st1 (31 taxa) dataset is best suited to producingregional vegetation cover estimates for Europe. These reconstructions offer a long-term perspectiveproviding unique possibilities to explore spatial-temporal changes in past land cover and biodiversity. Show less
NIKULINA, A.; MacDonald, K.; Scherjon, F.; Pearce, E.A.; Davoli, M.; Svenning, J.-C.; ... ; Roebroeks, W. 2022
We review palaeoenvironmental proxies and combinations of these relevant for understanding hunter-gatherer niche construction activities in pre-agricultural Europe. Our approach consists of two... Show moreWe review palaeoenvironmental proxies and combinations of these relevant for understanding hunter-gatherer niche construction activities in pre-agricultural Europe. Our approach consists of two steps: (1) identify the possible range of hunter-gatherer impacts on landscapes based on ethnographic studies; (2) evaluate proxies possibly reflecting these impacts for both the Eemian (Last Interglacial, Middle Palaeolithic) and the Early–Middle Holocene (Mesolithic). We found these paleoenvironmental proxies were not able to unequivocally establish clear-cut differences between specific anthropogenic, climatic and megafaunal impacts for either time period in this area. We discuss case studies for both periods and show that published evidence for Mesolithic manipulation of landscapes is based on the interpretation of comparable data as available for the Last Interglacial. If one applies the ‘Mesolithic’ interpretation schemes to the Neanderthal record, three common niche construction activities can be hypothesised: vegetation burning, plant manipulation and impact on animal species presence and abundance. Our review suggests that as strong a case can be made for a Neanderthal impact on landscapes as for anthropogenic landscape changes during the Mesolithic, even though the Neanderthal evidence comes from only one high-resolution site complex. Further research should include attempts (e.g. by means of modelling studies) to establish whether hunter-gatherer impact on landscapes played out at a local level only versus at a larger scale during both time periods, while we also need to obtain comparative data on the population sizes of Last Interglacial and Holocene hunter-gatherers, as these are usually inferred to have differed significantly. Show less
Morrison, K.D; Hammer, E.; Boles, O.; Madella, M.; Whitehouse, N.; Gaillard, M.-J.; ... ; Zanon, M. 2021
In the 12,000 years preceding the Industrial Revolution, human activities led to significant changes in land cover, plant and animal distributions, surface hydrology, and biochemical cycles. Earth... Show moreIn the 12,000 years preceding the Industrial Revolution, human activities led to significant changes in land cover, plant and animal distributions, surface hydrology, and biochemical cycles. Earth system models suggest that this anthropogenic land cover change influenced regional and global climate. However, the representation of past land use in earth system models is currently oversimplified. As a result, there are large uncertainties in the current understanding of the past and current state of the earth system. In order to improve representation of the variety and scale of impacts that past land use had on the earth system, a global effort is underway to aggregate and synthesize archaeological and historical evidence of land use systems. Here we present a simple, hierarchical classification of land use systems designed to be used with archaeological and historical data at a global scale and a schema of codes that identify land use practices common to a range of systems, both implemented in a geospatial database. The classification scheme and database resulted from an extensive process of consultation with researchers worldwide. Our scheme is designed to deliver consistent, empirically robust data for the improvement of land use models, while simultaneously allowing for a comparative, detailed mapping of land use relevant to the needs of historical scholars. To illustrate the benefits of the classification scheme and methods for mapping historical land use, we apply it to Mesopotamia and Arabia at 6 kya (c. 4000 BCE). The scheme will be used to describe land use by the Past Global Changes (PAGES) LandCover6k working group, an international project comprised of archaeologists, historians, geographers, paleoecologists, and modelers. Beyond this, the scheme has a wide utility for creating a common language between research and policy communities, linking archaeologists with climate modelers, biodiversity conservation workers and initiatives. Show less
