Millennial Floristic Diversity and Land Management as Inferred from Archaeo-Palynological Research in Southern Italy

Palynology is an invaluable tool for reconstructing past biodiversity in agrarian and cultural landscapes and for understanding present-day environmental assets. By analysing past evidence, rooted in botanical knowledge, we can foresee future environmental trends. Italy, at the centre of the Mediterranean, is one of the richest countries in terms of pollen analyses from archaeological sites and therefore is particularly suited to reconstructing human-environment relationships and anthropogenic impacts on flora over time. We selected data filled in the database BRAIN. This paper presents new elaboration on pollen data from 14 published and unpublished archaeological sites, showing past plant diversity and land management in prehistorical and historical contexts of southern Italy. Overall, the research demonstrates that the floristic palaeodiversity, as revealed through the group-equalised indicator species analysis, supports and validates the palynological data on the flora of Campania, Basilicata, and Sicily. The study highlights the presence of ubiquitous pollen taxa in anthropogenic environments and explores the connection between past and present plant diversity.