Human settlement doubled global oceanic island erosion and fire regimes during the early colonization stage
Journal
Global and Planetary Change
Journal Volume
257
Start Page
105234
ISSN
0921-8181
Date Issued
2026-02
Author(s)
Abstract
Although anthropogenic disturbances on the landscape and ecology of individual oceanic islands over the past millennia have been documented from archaeological and paleo-ecological archives, the quantitative evaluation on a global scale allows for the exploration of more dimensions of anthropogenic impacts on islands. Here, we analyze sedimentation rates and charcoal concentrations integrated from 45 islands worldwide to evaluate soil erosion and fire regimes associated with human pre-contact, initial-colonization, and post-settlement stages. Compared to the relatively low and constant pre-contact background values, both parameters experienced unprecedented changes during the initial-colonization stage. The increasing rates are primarily driven by human activities, including large-scale fire-induced deforestation and intensive agricultural practices. In the post-settlement stage, sedimentation rates and fire occurrences either decreased or increased, but were still higher than their background levels. A comparable level and pattern of human disturbance during the initial-colonization stage is evident across the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. The Polynesian Triangle, the last main migration frontier in the Pacific Ocean after 1000 CE, however, experienced the most intensive anthropogenic influence. The study underscores that, apart from the Industrial Revolution, the initial-colonization stage of ∼300 years had the most profound impact. Following the post-colonization stage, these ecosystems transitioned to a new, more dynamic state, rather than reverting to pre-human conditions.
Subjects
Human colonization
Landscape disturbances
Oceanic islands
Soil erosion
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Type
journal article