Late-Holocene fossil evidence and the interpretation of the vegetation in NW Iberia: management issues in the light of palaeoecological findings

Abstract

The management of the forests of Pinus sylvestris L. in north-western Iberia has been subjected to intense debate as the tree has been long considered an alien species while it has been widely used as a major species in forest restoration throughout the last 50 years. In the light of new palaeoecological data, we identify here a new late-Holocene population of P. sylvestris outside of the currently known Holocene range, also representing the westernmost continental Holocene subfossil record of this tree. Macro- and megafossil data from Montes de León (northwest Spain) occur in an area where oral testimonies of peasants suggested the occurrence of historical pine forests. The relevance of this finding and the reviewed regional palaeoecological data is crucial for both management and conservation actions. Here, we primarily discuss the implications of the naturalness of pinewoods within the Natura 2000 network and analyse the linkages between abrupt landscape changes involving pinewood shrinkage and historical events, such as Roman occupation and mediaeval livestock development. As a result, a new role for pinewoods in the management of protected areas is proposed.