From pristine forests to high-altitude pastures: an ecological approach to prehistoric human impact on vegetation and landscapes in the western Italian Alps (original) (raw)
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Knowledge of the direct role humans have had in changing the landscape requires the perspective of historical and archaeological sources, as well as climatic and ecologic processes, when interpreting paleoecological records. People directly impact land at the local scale and land use decisions are strongly influenced by local sociopolitical priorities that change through time. A complete picture of the potential drivers of past environmental change must include a detailed and integrated analysis of evolving sociopolitical priorities, climatic change and ecological processes. However, there are surprisingly few localities that possess high-quality historical, archeological and high-resolution paleoecologic datasets. We present a high resolution 2700-year pollen record from central Italy and interpret it in relation to archival documents and archaeological data to reconstruct the relationship between changing sociopolitical conditions, and their effect on the landscape. We found that: (1) abrupt environmental change was more closely linked to sociopolitical and demographic transformation than climate change; (2) landscape changes reflected the new sociopolitical priorities and persisted until the sociopolitical conditions shifted; (3) reorganization of new plant communities was very rapid, on the order of decades not centuries; and (4) legacies of forest management adopted by earlier societies continue to influence ecosystem services today. Published in: Scientific Reports 8 (2018) 2138 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-20286-4
AIASSUNTO -Evotuzione della veqetezione e impeito entropico durante I'Olocene nelle Alpi Centrali. La successione paleobotanica del/a torbiera di Pian Venezia (Trento, Italia) -II Quaternario Italian Journal of QuaternarySciences, 9(2), 1996, 737-744 -In questa artico-10 vengono presentati i risultati preliminari delle anallsl palsobotanlche condotte sulla torbiera di Pian Venezia (2270 m s.l.rn., Val di Peio,Alpi italiane orlentall), Lo soopo della ricerca e la ricostruzione dell'evoluzione olocenlca della vegetazione in un arnbiente ad elevate altltudlne, presso i1limite del bosco, Sulla successione di torba sono state ottenute 6 date 14C. La sedimentazione orqanica e lnlzlata in una fase avanzata del Preboreale ed econtinuata fino al presente. La successione polllnlca di Pian Venezia ha registrato numerosi eventi vegetazionali chs hanno caratterizzato la storia della vegetazione nell'Olocene. Nel tarde Preboreale una prateria alplna con arbusti (Salix e Alnus) e presente nelle vicinanze della torbiera, mentre psrslstono aree con vegetazione discontinua picnlera, come indicata dalla presenza di granuli di Androsace ed Oxyria. Picea compare con curva continua circa 8.900 anni BP e sublsee un brusco aumento circa 8.700 anni BP, allorche I'abete rosso raggiunge I'alta Val di Peio. Durante l'Atlantico medio e superlors, la presenza nella torba di aghi e stomi di cambro e di larice nonche di semi di cembro indicano che iI bosco circondava la torblera, Fagus e di Abies cornpalono rispettivamente circa 6.500 e 6.000-5.500 anni BP. Due lmportantl fasi di impatto antropico sono evidentl: ta prima (4.000 -3.000 annl BP) pub essere attribuita al tardo Neolitico, la seconda (che inizia circa 2.200 anni BP) al perlodo romano. Nei livelli datati a quest'ultirna fase compaiono spore di Podospore e Sporormielte, funghi coprofili, il che suggerisce I'estenslone del pascolo nel Pian Venezia.
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 2007
An interdisciplinary palaeoecological study in the low-alpine and subalpine zones of Val Febbraro, upper Valle di Spluga (Italy), between 1830 and 2304 m a.s.l., suggests the temporary presence of early Neolithic groups at about 6000 uncal b.p. Evidence for local woodland clearance and charcoal dust were found. Phases of woodland and treeline disturbances, and indications of increased human presence are evident at about 5500, 5100, and 4000 b.p. A marked increase in disturbance, mainly related to pasturing, is dated to the beginning of the Bronze Age. The last major stage of human impact on the vegetation coincides with the Final Bronze phase and the beginning of the Iron Age, with a small temporary reduction during the Roman period. 14 C dated archaeological sites and finds are broadly concordant with Communicated by F. Bittmann D. Moe ( ) Natural History collection, botany,
Man and vegetation in the southern Alps: the Valcamonica-Valtrompia-Valsabbia watershed (northern Italy). This paper presents an overview of ongoing archaeological survey being carried out along the Valcamonica-Valtrompia-Valsabbia watershed. Archaeological excavations of three sites has been accompanied by analyses of associated plant remains (pollen, seeds, wood and charcoal), soils and sedi ments. An early Mesolithic (Sauveterrian) encampement at Rondeneto has been dated to the Boreal period (8880± ISO BP: . The site has yielded some 16S artefacts of typical character. Sauveterrian artefacts have similarly been found at Vaiale where excavation a lso produced Iron age material dated between 240S±3S BP (GrN-18988) and 2 100±70 BP (GrN-19S92). A later Mesolithic site at Laghetti del Crestoso has provided archaeological and palaeobotanical evidence for ephemeral, seasonal encampments of the Castelnovian Culture. Palynological and 14C evidence from a number of sites shows an early Holocene hiatus in peat and sediment accumulation. This is attributed to a period of climatic dryness which may have favoured high altitude occupation. It is suggested that Mesolithic occupation was influenced by the presence of water sources, altitude, aspect and the ecotonal belt between upper montane grassland and lower altitude woodland.
Journal of Quaternary Science, 2013
This paper describes a multi-proxy palaeoecological investigation undertaken in conjunction with an archaeological survey of the Upper Sangro Valley in the Abruzzo National Park, Central Italy. Despite being a biodiversity hotspot and regarded as a near-pristine area, the pollen, spore and diatom data all show major changes in the vegetation extending to over 2000 m a.s.l. during the mid to late Holocene. Although there are changes in ecological composition earlier in the Holocene they are different in type and magnitude from the changes which began about 800 cal a BC. The pollen and diatom evidence do not correlate well with regional palaeoclimate data, or on-site isotopic evidence, but do appear to be related to Samnite (later Iron Age) clearance and upland grazing associated with transhumance and later annexation (and centuriation) of the lower slopes by Roman surveyors. The greatest change in vegetation was during the period c. AD 500-600 and corresponds with the Byzantine-Gothic Wars, and Lombard-Carolingian settlement reorganization into nucleated hilltop settlements which managed upland grazing. This pattern of intensive land use at all altitudes persisted until the early 20th century and only changed following rural depopulation after World War II. These data illustrate how cultural factors had a profound effect on this mountainous region which, in this case, far outweighed the effects of climatic fluctuations which are known to have occurred from both this study area and the region.