Human Impacts on Holocene Vegetation and Wetland Degradation in the Lower Pearl River, Southern China

Yaze Zhang, Yanwei Zheng (), Qinghua Gong, Shuqing Fu, Cong Chen, Yongjie Tang, Xiao Zhang, Qiuchi Wan, Kangyou Huang and Zhuo Zheng ()
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Yaze Zhang: Guangdong Open Laboratory of Geospatial Information Technology and Application, Guangzhou Institute of Geography, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
Yanwei Zheng: Guangdong Open Laboratory of Geospatial Information Technology and Application, Guangzhou Institute of Geography, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
Qinghua Gong: Guangdong Open Laboratory of Geospatial Information Technology and Application, Guangzhou Institute of Geography, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
Shuqing Fu: Guangdong Open Laboratory of Geospatial Information Technology and Application, Guangzhou Institute of Geography, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, China
Cong Chen: School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China
Yongjie Tang: School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China
Xiao Zhang: School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China
Qiuchi Wan: School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China
Kangyou Huang: School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China
Zhuo Zheng: School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 519082, China

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 4, 1-17

Abstract: Reconstructing Holocene vegetation history and human impact on vegetation is critical for understanding past interactions between humans and nature. This study concentrates on the lower West River area in Southern China, offering high-resolution reconstructions of vegetation changes over the last 9000 years. Our findings reveal that during the Holocene Climatic Optimum (9–5 ka BP), the area was predominantly covered by dense evergreen broad-leaved forests. Around 5.1 ka BP, the emergence of marsh forests, as evidenced by abundant pollen of Glyptostrobus and in situ buried woods and roots, indicated a transition towards a wetland ecosystem. Notably, a thriving wetland environment and high production of peat deposits dating from 4.3 ka to 2.5 ka BP reflect the continuous drop of lake levels and the formation of swamps driven by a climatic pattern marked by decreased precipitation, potentially linked to a reduction in summer monsoon intensity during the latter part of the Holocene. This period of wetland expansion also coincides with the earliest evidence of rice cultivation in Southern China, suggesting a relationship between agricultural development and regional landscape changes. Additionally, millennial-scale paleo-megafloods are not only identified by lithological features but also by pollen taxa and principal component analysis. Despite the temporary disruptions of the marsh forest, it demonstrated resilience, quickly recovering within decades. By approximately 2.5 ka BP, a significant increase in rice-type Poaceae pollen and Pteridophyte spores, alongside the sharp decline of Glyptostrobus and a decrease in arboreal taxa, were observed. This shift in pollen spectra, coupled with a PC1 curve of principal component analysis, points to intensified human activity as a primary driver behind the collapse of the local wetland ecosystem. These findings align with regional evidence from the Pearl River Delta and coastal Southern China, highlighting extensive human intervention in natural forests and the onset of large-scale agriculture post-2.5 ka BP.

Keywords: Holocene; Pearl River; pollen record; vegetation reconstruction; wetland ecosystem; human impact (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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