As a study recalls “The most consensual date of human colonization of the Azores is 1427”, when Gonçalo Velho Cabral arrived on the island of Santa Maria and then on the island of S. Miguel. The official date of the beginning of the colonization of the archipelago is 1449, but studies are already known that argue that the Azores were already known before, based on maps from 1339 where the islands of Corvo and S. Miguel are already marked, although with different names (Corvinaris and Caprara, respectively) (Rull et al., 2017).
The analysis of pollen and spores, combined with the analysis of carchoal and fossils of various microorganisms preserved in sediments accumulated in lakes are an important source of information about ancient environments. In particular, palynology (study of pollen and spores) can provide data for reconstructing vegetation changes, climatic history and for a better understanding of human impact on lakes and their basins.
Sediments are collected from the bottom of the lakes, using a drilling platform and, with a sediment recovery system, a sedimentary record is obtained that contains the environmental history, at least the last few hundred years of the island.
Studies carried out in the lagoons of the Azores (e.g. Lagoa Azul on the island of S. Miguel), reveal that this island was already inhabited around 1287, about 150 years before the official date of its settlement, right after the last known volcanic eruption . Similar studies were carried out on the island of Terceira, Pico and Flores and the same conclusions were obtained.
At the beginning of these sedimentary records, at the earliest dates, the presence of highly developed native forests was expected before the arrival of the portuguese, followed by major changes in vegetation cover due to anthropic activities, as described in historical documents that report the Portuguese occupation in the Azores archipelago. However, and contrary to the expectations of the researchers, it was found in the pollen record, human disturbance of the landscape, possibly in the form of local fires and animal husbandry, pre- Portuguese, supporting human occupation, prior to the official Portuguese date.
The aim of new studies is to reconstruct the vegetation dynamics in the Azores archipelago in general over the last 1000 years and to define the main factors of change in the ecology of the islands. All of this information helps to understand how the current landscapes and agricultural communities of the Azores were modeled.
Studying past times with environmental conditions (climate, vegetation, human influence, etc.) similar to those of the present can be very useful for predicting environmental changes in the future. In the current context of global warming, studying the climate of the past will help to understand the climate of the present and the future. It will also help to define the adaptation prevention measures that we must adopt, both in the social and economic spheres.
Article written by the biologist Nicolo Aguiar from Picos de Aventura's team.
References:
van Leeuwen, J. F. N., Schaefer, H., van der Knaap, W. O., Rittenour, T., Björck, S., Ammann, B. (2005). Native or introduced? Fossil pollen and spores may say – an example from the Azores Islands. Neobiota, 6, 27-34. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233985292_Native_or_introduced_Fossil_polle n_and_spores_may_sayAn_example_from_the_Azores_Islands
Rull, V., Lara, A., Rubio-Inglés, M. J., Giralt, S., Gonçalves, V., Raposeiro, P., Hernández, A., Sánchez-López, G., Vázquez-Loureiro, D., Bao, R., Masqué, P., Sáez, A. (2017). Vegetation and landscape dynamics under natural and anthropogenic forcing on the Azores Islands: A 700-year pollen record from the São Miguel Island. Quaternary Science Reviews, 159, 155-168. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2017.01.021
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