The effects of past climate variability on fire and vegetation in the cerrãdo savanna ecosystem of the Huanchaca Mesetta, Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, NE Bolivia

A 14,500-year sedimentary record from Huanchaca Mesetta in Noel Kempff Mercado National Park reveals the resilience of cerrãdo savanna ecosystems to past climate variability. The study found that while fire activity increased during the Holocene due to warming conditions, fuel availability decreased under prolonged dry seasons, shaping modern vegetation patterns. Natural drivers—soil, climate, and fire—rather than human influence have primarily controlled vegetation and fire regimes in this ecosystem. Analyzing phytoliths, stable isotopes, and charcoal provided high-resolution insights into past environmental changes.

Maezumi, S. Y., Power, M. J., Mayle, F. E., McLauchlan, K., & Iriarte, J. (2015). The effects of past climate variability on fire and vegetation in the cerrãdo savanna ecosystem of the Huanchaca Mesetta, Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, NE Bolivia. https://doi.org/10.5194/cpd-11-135-2015