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Evolution of human-driven fire regimes in Africa
Sally Archibald1, A Carla Staver, Simon A Levin
1Natural Resources and the Environment, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria 0001, South Africa. sarchibald@csir.co.za
Summary
Human landscape and fire manipulation significantly altered African fire regimes. Changes in fire spread and landscape transformation, not just population density, were key drivers of burned area over millennia.
Area of Science:
- Paleoecology
- Fire Ecology
- Environmental History
Background:
- Human evolution brought increased control over fire and landscapes, impacting global fire regimes, biodiversity, and biogeochemistry.
- Reconstructing historical human-driven fire regimes is challenging, necessitating integrated modeling approaches.
Observation:
- A spatially explicit fire propagation model was used to explore historical fire regime changes in Africa.
- The model incorporated human population density, fire-starting capabilities, and agropastoral expansion.
Findings:
- Increased human population density's effect on ignition frequency is less critical than enhanced fire spread and connectivity.
- Landscape transformation through grazing and cultivation, alongside dry season fire use, significantly altered fire extent and seasonality.
- Substantial human impacts on burned area began around 4,000 years Before Present (BP) in open landscapes and by 40,000 BP in closed/dissected landscapes.
Implications:
- Dry season fires have been consistent for 200-300 thousand years (ky).
- Annual burned area in Africa likely peaked between 4,000 and 40,000 years ago (kya).
- Current burned biomass in subtropical regions may be lower than in the recent past, aligning with paleocarbon evidence.
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