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A Holocene record of savanna vegetation dynamics in southern lowland Papua New Guinea
Abstract
The southern lowlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG) are biogeographically distinct. Vast tracts of savanna vegetation occur there and yet most palaeoecological studies have focused on highlands and/or forest environments. Greater focus on long-term lowland environments provides a rare opportunity to understand and promote the significance of local and regional savannas, ultimately allowing non-forested and forested ecosystem dynamics to be compared. This paper examines palaeoecological and archaeological data from a lowland open savanna site situated on the south-central PNG coastline. The methods used incorporate pollen and micro-charcoal analyses, artefact recovery and sediment descriptions. We conclude with an environmental model of sedimentation and vegetation change for the past c. 5,800 years, revealing a mid to late Holocene savanna interchange between herbaceous and woody plant growth, with fluctuating fire occurrence increasing toward the present day. Increased silt deposition and modified regional hydrology are also recorded. Environmental changes correspond in timing with the start of permanent settlements and human use of fire. In particular, landscape burning for hunting and gardens for agriculture have helped create the open ecosystem still evident today.
Type
Journal Article
Type of thesis
Series
Citation
Rowe, C., David, B., Mialanes, J., Ulm, S., Petchey, F., Aird, S., … Richards, T. (2019). A Holocene record of savanna vegetation dynamics in southern lowland Papua New Guinea. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-019-00724-7
Date
2019
Publisher
Springer Nature
Degree
Supervisors
Rights
© Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2019. This is the author's accepted version. The final publication is available at Springer via dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00334-019-00724-7