Les environnements du Vanuatu de l’Holocène à nos jours : un état des lieux des connaissances

The first Vanuatu archaeological site discovery dates back to the 1960s, then the scientific and archaeological knowledge of this archipelago have increased. Nevertheless, the human activities–palaeoenvironmental changes relation in Vanuatu is still a matter of debate. In order to better determine this relation, reviewing the literature on past and actual environment is needed. This paper presents here a state of knowledge on Vanuatu geology, climate, biodiversity and archaeology, from the mid-Holocene to our present-day. The young archipelago results from strong volcanic and tectonic activity, due to the active subduction zone between Australian and Pacific plates. The atmosphere–ocean interactions determine the wet and dry seasons. Fauna and flora are principally derived from Southeast Asia. The occurrence of several species and subspecies endemic to the archipelago, if not to some islands, is probably due to the Vanuatu isolated location, the size of the islands and the climatic gradient between north and south. The first human populations reached the archipelago around 3200 yr BP. The Lapita culture, characterized by decorated potteries, is shared across the whole Vanuatu between 3200 and 2900 yr BP. After 2900 yr BP, cultures differ from one island to another. After 600 yr BP, the Polynesian culture dominates in Vanuatu.