When Europeans arrived in the Americas during the 15th and 16th centuries, they brought colonial rule but also diseases that wiped out most local populations, many of whom were farmers.
The theory goes that fewer numbers of locals meant less land cultivation, and this could have caused forests to grow back.
A new study says we need to re-think this theory. Researchers studied how vegetation changed in areas in America and Asia Pacific under the Spanish Empire. They also compared how the relationship between local communities and nature changed before and after Spanish rule. Forests did grow back after local populations declined but only in very few cases. In fact, in many cases, Spanish land use policies made it difficult for forests to grow back. We need more research for clearer answers.
But knowing how we interacted with our environment in the past will help conserver tropical ecosystems for the future.
Original article:
“Great Dying” did not lead to uniform forest regrowth
Original studies:
Non-uniform tropical forest responses to the ‘Columbian Exchange’ in the Neotropics and Asia-Pacific