An interdisciplinary approach to understanding British resilient woodlands in an Anthropocene landscape

Abstract

Woodlands in the British landscape have been reduced to fragments and continue to decline in species diversity. In the heavily human-modified landscape of the English Midlands, Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland sites have undergone various human disturbance, including extensive modification such as clear-felling in the 20th century. Through the integration of information from the fossil pollen record, place-name evidence of past vegetation cover, archaeological records and recent botanical surveys, we examine the patterns of past resilience of woodlands to environmental disturbances, to understand more about their current status and future concerns to ensure the persistence of these now rare, socially and ecologically important habitats.  By adopting an interdisciplinary approach, we examine multiple sites across the English counties of Leicestershire and Rutland as case studies, integrating the different spatiotemporal datasets to provide new insights. The methodology aims to identify regions that have maintained long-term, stable woodland cover and to elucidate how ecosystems have changed and recovered after natural environmental or anthropogenic disturbances over the past 8,000 years and including more recent changes in the Anthropocene. Environmental change including deforestation and reforestation events have been identified with further details about the anthropogenic influence being provided by the historical (place-name evidence) and archaeological records. Our analysis is targeted at developing a replicable, spatiotemporal framework to identify future resilient woodland ecosystems in a time of Anthropocene environmental change, and to inform local policy and conservation efforts.