Pollen, People and Place : Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Ecosystem Change at Amboseli, Kenya

摘要: This study presents a multidisciplinary perspective for understanding environmental change and emerging socio-ecological interactions across the Amboseli region of southwestern Kenya. We focus on late Holocene (<5000 cal yr. BP) changes continuities reconstructed from sedimentary, archaeological, historical records models. utilize multi-disciplinary approaches to understand environmental-ecosystem-social over longue duree use this simulate different land scenarios supporting conservation sustainable livelihoods using model. Today semi-arid landscape supports large livestock wildlife population, sustained by wide variety plants extensive rangelands regulated seasonal rainfall human activity. Our data provide insight into how large-scale long-term climate, people, livestock, external connections have shaped ecosystems landscape. Environmental conditions were dry between ~5000–2000 BP, followed two wet periods at ~2100–1500 1400–800 BP with short periods; most recent centuries characterised variable climate alternative phases high spatial heterogeneity. Most evident in palaeo is changing woody grass cover ratio, driven fire regimes entwined fluctuating elephant, cattle wild ungulate populations moderated activity, including elephant ivory trade intensification. Archaeological perspectives occupation groups (hunter-gatherers, pastoralists farmers) relationships them are discussed. An overview known history humans elephants, expanding networks trade, arrival integration metallurgy, domesticated crops wider provided. In decades, increased runoff flooding resulted expansion wetlands reduction vegetation, compounding problems created enclosure privatisation these landscapes. However, outside protected area drying up because intensified water extraction communities surrounding National Park adjacent mountains areas, who numbers, become sedentary diversified around wetlands.