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Mauritius on fire: Tracking historical human impacts on biodiversity loss |
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| Authors: | William D Gosling Jona de Kruif Sietze J Norder Erik J de Boer Henry Hooghiemstra Kenneth F Rijsdijk Crystal N H McMichael |
| Institution: | 1. Institute for Biodiversity & Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;2. School of Environment, Earth & Ecosystem Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK;3. Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes/Azorean Biodiversity Group, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal |
| Abstract: | Fire was rare on Mauritius prior to human arrival (AD 1598); subsequently three phases of elevated fire activity occurred: ca 1630–1747, 1787–1833, and 1950–modern. Elevated fire frequency coincided with periods of high human impact evidenced from the historical record, and is linked to the extinction of island endemics. |
| Keywords: | Anthropocene charcoal Dodo ecosystem degradation extinction habitat degradation introduced species islands Mare Tatos sub‐tropical |