Is there solid evidence of widespread landscape disturbance in the Azores before the arrival of the Portuguese?

作者：Rui B. Elias, Simon Connor, Carlos A. Góis‐Marques, Hanno Schaefer, Luís Silva, Miguel Menezes de Sequeira, Mónica Moura, Paulo A. V. Borges, Rosalina Gabriel · 发表于：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 年份：2022 · DOI：10.1073/pnas.2119218119 · 被引用次数：34 · 研究领域：Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies、Geology and Paleoclimatology Research、Archaeology and ancient environmental studies

Raposeiro et al. conclude that human occupation of the Azores islands began between 700 and 850 CE, causing widespread landscape disturbance and raising doubts about the islands’ presumed pristine nature when the Portuguese arrived. However, previous paleoecological studies from Flores, Pico, and Sao Miguel Islands (Table 1) show that permanent changes in the vegetation occurred only after the early 15th century. The authors’ work also shows the permanent decline, to the lowest levels, in arboreal pollen on Corvo and Flores occurring during Portuguese occupation, not before. […].