Late-Holocene gallery forest retrogression in the Venezuelan Guayana: New data and implications for the conservation of a cultural landscape

A late-Holocene shift from gallery forests to savanna-dominated landscapes in Canaima National Park, Venezuela, is linked to human-induced fires and climate-driven droughts. Palynological analysis of sediment cores from Quebrada Kowana (QK) and Ariwe Fernland (AF) revealed that forest cover, dominated by taxa like Celastraceae and Moraceae/Urticaceae, declined sharply around 1800–1600 years ago due to recurrent fires—likely set by humans but exacerbated by drought. These findings confirm regional-scale gallery forest degradation during the late Holocene, with implications for conserving this culturally significant landscape.

Leal, A., Bilbao, B., Berrio, J. C., Behling, H., Montoya, J. V., & Méndez, C. (2016). Late-Holocene gallery forest retrogression in the Venezuelan Guayana: New data and implications for the conservation of a cultural landscape. The Holocene, 26(7), 1049–1063. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683616632892