Changes in the Erica ciliaris Loefl. ex L. peat bogs of southwestern Europe from the 17th to the 20th centuries ad

Abstract

This paper analyses a reconstruction of changes from the 17th to the 20th centuries in peat bogs with Erica ciliaris Loefl. ex L. heathlands in southwestern Europe. The reconstruction is performed by means of a multidisciplinary method based on photointerpretation, the examination of historical sources (documentation and maps), and an analysis of microtopography. Historical sources and aerial photos from 1956 and 1987 have also been used to reconstruct the impacts of anthropic activity. In the study area, Doñana Natural Park (SW Iberian Peninsula), peat bogs currently occupy slightly more than 8% of the area that they covered at the beginning of the 17th century. A parallel analysis of anthropic activity in the area over the last four centuries reveals the key role of humans in the disappearance of these peat bogs. This drastic reduction of peat bog area during the 20th century is due to a lowering of the water-table as a result of the impacts of anthropic activity, primarily the establishment of monocultures of Eucalyptus spp. and Pinus pinea. An earlier lowering of the water-table, before these plantations, is attributable to a process of aridisation associated with post-‘Little Ice Age’ warming. Therefore, the impacts associated with climatic trends are synergistically superimposed on those derived from the intense anthropic activity that occurred during the second half of the 20th century. This synergy resulted in a reduction of the surface occupied by the studied peat bogs and their associated E. ciliaris heathlands by 91.1% in SW Europe.