Today, the effect of human activities on the majority of the world's rainforests cannot be denied, and scientists were of the opinion that many tropical forests in South East Asia remained relatively unchanged due to absence of human activities for tens of centuries. A recent study, however, debunks this theory as new evidence shows that for the past 11,000 years, human activities have actually helped shape these tropical rainforests into what they are today.
Tropical rainforests in places like Vietnam, Thailand, Borneo, Java and Sumatra were originally thought to be unaffected by nearby human settlements. A study, conducted by a team of researchers from Queen's University in Belfast, however, indicates that disturbances caused by humans may have led to dramatic changes in these rainforests. Chris Hunt, the team's paleoecologist, has reported the findings.
"It has long been believed that the rainforests of the Far East were virgin wildernesses, where human impact has been minimal. Our findings, however, indicate a history of disturbances to vegetation," says Dr. Hunt. "While it could be tempting to blame these disturbances on climate change, that is not the case as they do not coincide with any known periods of climate change. Rather, these vegetation changes have been brought about by the actions of people."
Researchers working on the study gathered and analyzed numerous pollen samples from three different islands throughout South East Asia. What the researchers found implies that human activities regularly caused disruptions in the vegetation of these forests since 11,000 thousand years ago. This period coincides with the last ice age.
"There is evidence that humans in the Kelabit Highlands of Borneo burned fires to clear the land for planting food-bearing plants. Pollen samples from around 6,500 years ago contain abundant charcoal, indicating the occurrence of fire," Dr. Hunt adds. "However, while naturally occurring or accidental fires would usually be followed by specific weeds and trees that flourish in charred ground, we found evidence that this particular fire was followed by the growth of fruit trees. This indicates that the people who inhabited the land intentionally cleared it of forest vegetation and planted sources of food in its place."
The study, which was published at the Journal of Archaeological Science, holds significant importance to solving the ecological mysteries in the region. Moreover, a clear historical perspective regarding human activities and their effects on rainforests may also shed light on possible conservation methods that may help safeguard the continued well-being of these majestic rainforests.
