Josh Gabbatiss - One of world’s most endangered forests originally planted by ancient South Americans
Critically endangered
swathes of forest found across parts of South America owe
their existence to the indigenous people who
have lived in harmony with them for centuries. Experts assumed monkey
puzzle trees had
expanded centuries ago due to wetter and warmer weather spreading across the
region. However, new research
suggests Southern Je communities played an active role in their creation,
cultivating the trees for food and other purposes.
"Our research
shows these landscapes were man-made,” said Dr Mark Robinson, an archaeologist at
the University of Exeter. “Communities settled
on grassland, and then – perhaps because they modified the soil, protected
seedlings or even planted trees – established these forests in places
where geographically they shouldn't have flourished." Together with an
international team of scientists, Dr Robinson realised that in areas of intense
archaeological activity these trees were everywhere – where the trees
had grown independently from humans they only grew on south-facing slopes.
Deciding to explore
this further, the researchers found that monkey puzzle trees had undergone two
massive expansions across the region. The first, which
occurred around 4,480 to 3,200 years ago, was likely due to an increase in
moisture – but this did not explain the second major pulse in tree growth that
took place more recently, peaking around 800 years ago... read more:
