Reconstructing the Impact of Humans on Aotearoa New Zealand's Biodiversity

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the anthropogenic impacts on Aotearoa New Zealand's (NZ) biodiversity up until the early 20th century, from an archaeological, paleoecological and evolutionary perspective. Palynology and charcoal analysis have been the main methods used to study vegetation change through time. Most pollen records are used to investigate natural processes of long-term, multi-millennial paleoenvironmental change, addressing various themes especially climate change. These studies can also inform on fire regimes, both locally and nationally; changes in sedimentation regimes; and the timing and impact of human arrival, although anthropogenic changes are often only a small component of this type of research. Given its late settlement, NZ offers a unique opportunity to examine the early stages of cultivation and domestication (e.g. what stage in the domestication process is genetic diversity lost), in conjunction with Māori oral histories, which complement western scientific methods and provide a more complete picture of past translocations.

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