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Ma Q, Zhu L, Wang J, Ju J, Wang Y, Lü X, Kasper T, Haberzettl T. Late Holocene vegetation responses to climate change and human impact on the central Tibetan Plateau. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 708:135370. [PMID: 31812427 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Revised: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Understanding long-term environmental changes under natural and anthropic forces is helpful for facilitating sustainable development. Here we present a sedimentary record from the central Tibetan Plateau to investigate the impacts of climate and human activities on alpine vegetation during the late Holocene, based on a 162-cm-long lacustrine sediment core collected from Tangra Yumco. Palynology, charcoal and minerogenic input reveal variations of climate and human activity during the past 3400 cal yr BP. Our results show that alpine steppe dominated by Artemisia, Cyperaceae and Poaceae was present in the Tangra Yumco area during the entire covered period. Only minor human activities are visible between 3400 and 2300 as well as from 1700 to 400 cal yr BP, when vegetation was mainly influenced by climate. Although human activities (presence/grazing) became more intensive between 2300 and 1700 cal yr BP corresponding to the Zhang Zhung Kingdom, vegetation change is still mainly affected by a more arid climate. Strongest human influence on vegetation was found after 400 cal yr BP, when vegetation composition was altered by farming and grazing activities. Our records indicate human activities did not have significant impacts on alpine environment until the past few centuries at Tangra Yumco on the central Tibetan Plateau.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingfeng Ma
- Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes (TEL), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (ITP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Liping Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes (TEL), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (ITP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Junbo Wang
- Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes (TEL), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (ITP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Jianting Ju
- Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes (TEL), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (ITP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Regional Response in the Yangtze-Huaihe River Basin, School of Geography and Tourism, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002, China
| | - Xinmiao Lü
- Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes (TEL), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (ITP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Thomas Kasper
- Physical Geography, Institute of Geography, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Torsten Haberzettl
- Physical Geography, Institute of Geography and Geology, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
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Schulz C, Whitney BS, Rossetto OC, Neves DM, Crabb L, de Oliveira EC, Terra Lima PL, Afzal M, Laing AF, de Souza Fernandes LC, da Silva CA, Steinke VA, Torres Steinke E, Saito CH. Physical, ecological and human dimensions of environmental change in Brazil's Pantanal wetland: Synthesis and research agenda. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 687:1011-1027. [PMID: 31412439 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Revised: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 06/02/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The Pantanal is the world's largest freshwater wetland, located in the geographical centre of South America. It is relatively well conserved, and features unique landscapes, ecosystems, and traditional cultural practices, shaped by the dynamic interaction of climatological, hydrological, geological, ecological, and anthropogenic factors. Its ecological integrity is increasingly threatened by human activities, particularly, in the wider catchment area, for example, deforestation, agricultural intensification, and construction of hydropower plants, with implications for local people's livelihoods. We present a synthesis of current literature on physical, ecological, and human dimensions of environmental change in the wetland, outline key research gaps, and discuss environmental management implications. The literature review suggests that better integration of insights from multiple disciplines is needed and that environmental management could be improved through a better grounding in traditional practices and local perspectives. We conclude with four recommendations: First, future environmental change research should build more strongly on the positive example of a small number of case studies where traditional and local knowledge of the environment was put into a dialogue with scientific knowledge and techniques. Second, we recommend a more explicit consideration of longer temporal scales (>10 years) in environmental change research, making use of oral and written histories, as well as palaeoecological techniques, to understand system responses to different magnitudes of human and climatic pressures, and ultimately, to inform future adaptation activities. Third, we suggest that enhanced stakeholder participation in conceiving and implementing research projects in the Pantanal would strengthen the practical relevance of research in addressing environmental management challenges, livelihood needs, and advocacy processes. Fourth, we call for a more systemic and integrative perspective on environmental education, which encompasses engagement activities between researchers, policy-makers, and citizens, to foster environmental awareness, scientific literacy, and public participation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Schulz
- Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Downing Place, Cambridge CB2 3EN, United Kingdom.
| | - Bronwen S Whitney
- Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, United Kingdom.
| | - Onélia Carmem Rossetto
- Department of Geography, Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT), Av. Fernando Corrêa da Costa, s/n°, Coxipó, Cuiabá, MT 78060-900, Brazil.
| | - Danilo M Neves
- Department of Botany, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG 31270-901, Brazil.
| | - Lauren Crabb
- Department of Management and Human Resources, Coventry University London, University House, 109-117 Middlesex Street, London E1 7JF, United Kingdom.
| | - Emiliano Castro de Oliveira
- Department of Marine Sciences, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Doutor Carvalho de Mendonça, 144, Santos, SP 11070-102, Brazil.
| | - Pedro Luiz Terra Lima
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616-8627, United States.
| | - Muhammad Afzal
- Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading, Russell Building, Whiteknights Campus, PO Box 227, Reading RG6 6AB, United Kingdom; School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Cardiff University, Main Building (1.18), Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, United Kingdom.
| | - Anna F Laing
- Department of Geography, University of Sussex, Sussex House, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9RH, United Kingdom.
| | - Luciana C de Souza Fernandes
- Faculty of Applied Sciences, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Rua Pedro Zaccaria, 1300, Limeira, SP 13484-350, Brazil.
| | - Charlei Aparecido da Silva
- Department of Geography, Federal University of Grande Dourados (UFGD), Rodovia Dourados/Itahum, Km 12 - Unidade II, Dourados, MS 79804-970, Brazil.
| | - Valdir Adilson Steinke
- Department of Geography, University of Brasília (UnB), Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, Asa Norte, Brasília, DF 70910-900, Brazil.
| | - Ercília Torres Steinke
- Department of Geography, University of Brasília (UnB), Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, Asa Norte, Brasília, DF 70910-900, Brazil.
| | - Carlos Hiroo Saito
- Department of Ecology/Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Brasília (UnB), Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, Asa Norte, Brasília, DF 70910-900, Brazil.
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